President John Dramani Mahama on Saturday conferred the Companion of The Star of Ghana (CSG) award on Nigerian Business mogul, , Dr Mike Adenuga Jr.

The  award, which is the highest civilian honour, was given to the Globacom Chairman  at the International Conference Centre in Accra.

President Mahama said Dr Adenuga was being honoured in recognition of his “unique and outstanding contribution to business enterprise both in Ghana and the continent of Africa at large.

“Through your creative business exertions, you have touched many lives in Ghana. You have provided employment for our teeming youth, artists, footballers and many more. I am particularly proud of you. This award is our way of saying a simple Thank You,” he added.

The citation on Dr Adenuga commended his “transformational achievements in the telecommunications industry”, chief of which was the laying of the Glo 1 optic fibre cable linking several African countries including Ghana with Europe and America.

President Mahama also commended Dr Adenuga’s contribution to telecommunications in Ghana since Glo Mobile’s launch, and lauded the huge investment in the project.

The President added  that Dr Adenuga’s investment decisions and his persistent and affirmative support for sports have earned him honours all over Africa. He noted that this was one of the strong reasons that recommended Dr Adenuga for Ghana’s highest civilian honour.

Dr Adenuga, in his acceptance remarks, noted that President Mahama’s “recognition and support of my modest contributions to the development of Ghana’s economy have come as a great source of pride and encouragement to me. This is more so as it is coming from Your Excellency, whose sterling qualities of leadership I admire greatly”.

Adenuga remains one of the finest pillars of investment in Africa with multi billion dollars interests in telecommunications, oil, banking and real estate among others. His telecommunications investment footprint spans across Nigeria, Ghana, Benin Republic, Senegal, Gambia and Cote d’Ivoire.

Adenuga who also holds the highest civilian honour of Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON) in Nigeria.

Dr. Adenuga’s Glo Mobile Ghana was launched in the country  2012  pacesetter in innovation, excellent service delivery and consumer loyalty reward in the country’s telecom market, particularly in the data segment, providing direct and indirect employment opportunities to thousands of Ghanaians.

The company’s international submarine cable, Glo 1, which landed in Accra in 2009 also opened up a whole vista of unprecedented opportunities for businesses, government institutions and individuals in the country by giving them much better access to more affordable broadband.

Glo Mobile also played a major role in developing Ghanaian football through the sponsorship of the country’s national teams, the Ghana Premier  league and the football supporters’ club. The sponsorship lasted for several years.

By Fiifi Abdul-Malik/ghanaguardian.com