THE SELECTION CRITERIA:

The following selection criteria will be used in assessing the suitability of nominees for awards.

POSITION OF AUTHORITY Since the position of authority nominee holds is key to the amount of influence the nominee wields, this will be a major assessment criterion.

COMMITMENT TO AFRICAN ECONOMIC REGIONALISM This is a key criterion because our awards are coming at a time when intra African cooperation and multilateral partnerships are gathering steam, with AfCFTA creating a pan continental single market being the latest initiative in this regard.

COMMITMENT TO AFRICAN DIPLOMATIC/DIPLOMATIC REGIONALISM Another key criterion is an assessment of a nominee’s efforts to foster African unity on the political, diplomatic, social and cultural levels underpinned by the continent’s common ancestral heritage

• IMPACT OF CONDUCT & ACTIONS Ultimately the influence a nominee wields is illuminated by the actual impact the nominee has on the socio-economic segments where that influence is imparted and so this becomes our most important criterion in assessment of nominations.

PERSONAL CONDUCT & INTEGRITY Leadership by example is an excellent form of exerting positive influence and so in our evaluation of nominees, their ability to set good personal examples is a crucial criterion especially with regard to personal integrity and personal conduct.

PROFESSIONAL CAPACITY The capacity of a nominee to apply excellent professional skills to whatever tasks he or she is given supports the degree of influence the nominee exerts, again on the principle of leadership by example and also as a result of the positive impact derived from professional capacities.

PERSONAL IMAGE A positive personal image is crucial to the degree of influence that nominee wields and so this a key criterion

PROFESSIONAL IMAGE In the same vein as the criterion above the perception of the public as to the capacity of the nominee with regards to professional skills and their application provides a major degree of influence on all people within the nominee’s purview.

ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC & USE OF THAT ACCESS The ability to influence public affairs is not just dependent on the potential a nominee wields but just as importantly, the degree to which that potential is utilized in a positive manner through public engagements aimed at providing the requisite positive influence. Therefore the degree of access the nominee has to engage the public and the extent to which that access is utilized is also a key criterion in a nominee’s evaluation.

PERSONAL SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Personal philanthropy is a key factor in determining the level of influence a nominee is able to wield on wider society and the specific societal or economic segments he or she engages regularly. A strong commitment to personal social responsibility naturally increases the amount of influence a nominee wields.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS The ability of a nominee to communicate effectively with those he or she seeks to influence and thus impart one’s ideas and perspectives effectively is key since it determines the degree to which the nominee n sell his or her vision or beliefs to the targeted societal segments

SIZE OF FOLLOWERSHIP The final criterion to guide the nominee evaluation process is one of the most important: the sheer number of followers the nominee has who are therefore influenced by the nominee’s opinions and actions. Factors such as social media followership, size on gatherings called up by the nominee etc. will be used to assess the intensity of this criterion.