It was a night of glitz and glamour as safety professionals and organizations were honoured for exemplary HSE performance at the maiden edition of the Africa Safety Award for Excellence (AfriSAFE).

The event, hosted by ace comedian, Seyi Law held at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, on November 8 and had in attendance several dignitaries and key industry personalities.

In his keynote address, the Chief Coordinator of the award, Femi Da-Silva said, “The fact that people come home safely to their families at the end of the working day as a result of your efforts- deserves to be recognized and celebrated.”

“The overall winners of these award categories were not selected by AfriSAFE organizers but by an esteemed panel of judges with years of experience in their respective career fields.”

In her own remark, the Chief Executive of Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), Bev Messinger, said that an estimate of 2.78 million people die worldwide every year from an accident caused by work adding that more must be done.

Noting that it was part of IOSH’s goal to reduce the number, she said, “AfriSAFE’s mission to deliver a world class platform in Africa for the recognition and celebration of our profession, while promoting excellence and expanding safety awareness is close to our goals as a chartered body and charity.”

“As a leading professional body for safety and health profession nals in Africa and beyond, we believe AfriSAFE is an incredibly important initiative to celebrate the safety and health profession and promote its influence in shaping a better, more sustainable world of work,” she added.

According to the judges, about 75 nominees were shortlisted from 1,223 entries from across four African regions for the award; and the 75 nominees were later streamlined to 30 winners.

Below is the complete list of winners  from the Africa Safety Awards 2019:

AfriSAFE Team of the Year-

VACC Technical Limited

AfriSAFE SME Award

Emobella Engineering Nigeria Limited

AfriSAFE Manager of the Year

Unwana Etuk

AfriSAFE CSR of the Year

Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited

AfriSAFE Governance Award

Aviam Offshore Engineering Ltd

AfriSAFE Innovation in OHS

Wellane Health Limited

AfriSAFE Campaign of the Year

MTN Foundation

AfriSAFE SECTOR AWARD

Not-for-Profit Category

Daystar Christian Centre

Power and Utility Category

Ikeja Electric

Oil and Gas Category

Green Fuels Limited

Maritime Category

African Circle Pollution Management Limited (ACPML)

Aviation Category

Kenya Airways

Manufacturing Category

De United Foods Industries Limited (DUFIL)

Health and Social Care Category

The Aga Khan Hospital, Kisumu

Banking and Finance Category

First Bank Nigeria Limited

Construction and Properties Activities Category

Dori Construction Nigeria Limited

AfriSAFE Merit Award

Dr. Ulrike Bollmann

Hon. Hakeem Dickson

Century Group (CG)

AfriSAFE Lifetime Achievement Award

Adenusi Patrick

Kofi O. Sagoe

Prof. Abdallah Amani Waheed El-Din

AfriSAFE Shining Star

Ugochi Obidiegwu

AfriSAFE Legend Award

Prince Julius Adewale Adelusi-Adeluyi OFR, mni

AfriSAFE Professional of the Year

Engr. Jamiu Badmos

AfriSAFE Business Leader of the Year

Dr. Anthony Youdeowei

AfriSAFE Commendation Award

The Lagos State Fire Service

Surveillant Fire Ltd

Prince Segun Obayendo

In his reaction, the Procurement Manager of DUFIL, Owenaze Precious, said the night was a good opportunity for networking and could not wait to receive the award for the night.

“My expectation is very high. The opportunity to interact with other stakeholders. Apart from that I want to see the peak where we will collect our awards. My organization was nominated for exceptional leadership in the area of safety which my organization has worked hard to get. We also have a zeal to do more and also exceed this feat that has given us this recognition.”

Also reacting, an emergency response Practitioner, Dare Akinfosile said the event was an improvement of HSE awards nights and congratulated the organizers for efforts put into the programme.

“It is obvious that a lot of things have been put into the programme. Everything seems to be going fine. It is better than what we have seen before,” he said.

Among dignitaries present at the event include the Founder of Juli-Pharmacy and Chairman MTN Foundation, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi; former Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dr. Joe Abbah; former director-general of the Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC), Hon. Hakeem Dickson, amongst others.

The highlight of the event was a raffle draw contest sponsored by Revelation Properties Limited where 3 winners went home with different plots of lands. The winners were Ebuka Nduanya, Adejoke Ajayi and John Duru