The awards dinner, held during the PRCA (Public Relations and Communications Association) South Africa Conference on 17 March, recognized Bank communications showcasing the impact of its Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa, also known as AFAWA.
The Superior Achievement in Branding, Reputation and Engagement (SABRE) Awards focus on excellence in communications, public relations and content creation originating from Africa.
The Bank Group's winning campaign stood out for its global reach and storytelling approach, launched with a series of "AFAWA Stories" videos supported by AFAWA or AFAWA-participatory events in Johannesburg, New York, Paris, Rabat, Abidjan and other cities. The videos took viewers to Kenya, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Cote d'Ivoire to hear from women entrepreneurs and financial institution representatives participating in AFAWA programmes.
"Our AFAWA communications further reveal how the Bank is improving access to capital on a large scale by unlocking billions of U.S. dollars in lending to Africa's women entrepreneurs. This Africa SABRE Awards recognition motivates us to continue to share stories about real women achieving their business goals and AFAWA's tangible impact in the business, banking and social development sectors," said Melissa Basque-Roux, Coordinator of the AFAWA program.
AFAWA is reducing the estimated $49 billion financing gap faced by Africa's women entrepreneurs, largely by scaling access to finance, advocacy for gender-affirmative policy and regulation, private sector partnership, as well as skills training and mentorship for women-led businesses to successfully apply for financing.
Africa SABRE Awards winners were selected from more than 500 entries, including from multinational agencies and African public relations powerhouses.
"What we saw overall was that public relations that drives social change is still very much alive in Africa, where public relations professionals delight in storytelling that moves both people and policy," said Paul Holmes, chair of this year's Africa SABRE Awards jury.
Twenty-five agencies received trophies across more than 40 categories at the awards dinner. Edelman agency's campaign on behalf of the nonprofit Women For Change was named "Best in Show" - the world's first $1 billion public relations agency also won three other Africa SABRE Awards. South African firm Clockwork was the ceremony's biggest winner, taking to the stage to accept four award trophies.
"We were absolutely thrilled to have the African SABRE Awards as part of the PRCA South Africa Conference this year. It was fantastic to see so many outstanding campaigns celebrated, showcasing the very best of public relations and communications across the continent. The Awards highlight creativity, strategic thinking and real impact, and it's inspiring to see African talent recognised on such a high-profile platform," said Jo Brophy, Head of International Membership at the PRCA.
The "AFAWA: Banking on Women" campaign, having delivered the Bank's first Africa SABRE win, advances to compete in the Global SABRE Awards honouring the world's 50 best public relations programmes. Winners will be announced at a gala to be held in Miami, Florida in October.
The Africa SABRE Award marks the third communications honour for this AFAWA campaign, and the Bank's twelfth international award for agriculture, human and social development-centred communications.
