The President of Groupe Ideal, Dr Nii Kotei Dzani, has been adjudged the Most Outstanding Finance /SME Entrepreneur in West Africa at the 13th Security Watch Africa Awards which took place in South Africa.

The decision to confer the prestigious award on Dr Dzani was taken after an extensive assessment of his personal and certified commitment to financial security, entrepreneurship, and equity in the financial sector in Ghana.

The judgement board concluded that Groupe Ideal as a company has been committed to high security and safety standards for their operations since inception. “This we found very exemplary in West Africa,” said the Secretary to the awards, Simon Udie.

The Secretary emphasised that this, coupled with Dr Kotei Dzani being the leader for 13 companies which serve millions of customers and employ over a thousand staff, is a great motivation not only to the people of his country but Africa at large.

He noted the aforementioned are in line with Security Watch’s vision to drive an international platform to celebrate Africa’s best governance, leadership, security and finance. It is also aimed at creating a credible forum for networking and sharing ideas by experts.

Commenting on the award, Dr Nii Kotei Dzani said financial security in its broader sense embraces the strength and stability of financial institutions, prudential regulation, competitive financial markets, employment opportunities, savings culture, and retirement incomes.

“I am, therefore, elated about this award. It always feels great to be recognised and awarded for your contribution within a sector and for your input to the growth of an organisation. I dedicate this award to the entire Groupe Ideal team for the massive support over the years. Hard work, passion, team work has made this possible. It’s simply a reflection of hard work paying off, nonetheless one that challenges me to do more in my sector,” Dr Dzani remarked.

“It has been a great year for Groupe Ideal in Ghana – a year in which we grew from adding a subsidiary to the other as industry players. A year in which we have won multiple awards for our innovations and hard work as a group,” he added.

Dr Dzani is noted for transforming institutions to prolific ones with his entrepreneurial vision through his tried and tested corporate advisory services.

Groupe Ideal is a registered business group that manages a diverse portfolio of businesses primarily in Ghana with a long-term vision of becoming a world-class company. It operates in the areas of investment banking, business finance, trade, asset management, mining and offshore consultancy services, media, and security services.

The finance-based institutions within the Groupe support businesses and individuals with tailor-made products and services.

Some key persons who also won awards on the night included the president of the republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari.

Previous Ghanaian awardees include President John Mahama, Kofi Amoabeng of UT Holdings, UMB, Manet Estate, Ghana Airports Company Ltd, among others.

The Security Watch Africa Awards was initiated and inaugurated in 2004, with the aim to recognise, appreciate, encourage, and celebrate individuals, governments, agencies, brands and companies who have excelled in security administration, practice and governance in Africa.

The mission is to bridge the gap of information that exists between security providers and security users, and between government and the governed. The world-acclaimed event is expected to bring together some heads of African governments, some heads of African parliaments/national assemblies, representatives of foreign embassies serving in various African countries, captains of industries and banks, the award recipients as well as Africa Media Executives.

Source: Groupe Ideal