Patricia Obo-Nai, the CEO of Vodafone Ghana, has been named Africa’s Most Respected CEO in the Telecommunications category at the Africa Most Respected CEO Awards, which were held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In categories such as agro-processing, automobile franchise sales, ICT, tourism, leisure and recreation, private security services, health, insurance, telecommunications, media, pharmaceuticals, and aviation, CEOs and senior public officers from Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania were honored.
‘’The awards are aimed at bringing together business captains, public sector officials, and investors in Africa who deserve recognition for accomplishments in their respective areas of endeavour in the COVID-challenged emerging African corporate ecosystems,” said Surrender Singh Kandhari, chairman of Al Dobowi Group and African Chamber for Trade United Arab Emirates, speaking at the awards ceremony.
Patricia has made an incalculable contribution to the telecoms business. She is lauded for her remarkable leadership during the height of the pandemic, in addition to championing several industry advancements. Vodafone Ghana offered exceptional efforts as part of a comprehensive assistance package for Ghanaians under her leadership.
She is a fervent proponent of technology, emphasizing the importance of Africa leveraging technological innovation to create sustainable development and ensure its place in the digital economy.
“To speed Africa’s economic recovery post-pandemic, the continent must accelerate digitalization and deepen regional cooperation,” Patricia wrote in a recent OpEd headlined “Connecting Africa is the Seminal Challenge of Our Time.”
She also urged governments, industry participants, and enterprises to join Vodafone in this initiative.
Patricia is also noted for her strong commitment to gender equality and actions that provide women with economic opportunity. Last year, she spoke before the United Nations General Assembly, calling for an immediate solution to reduce maternal death in Sub-Saharan Africa, calling it “unacceptable in this age.”
She also spoke at the G7 Partnership on Women’s Digital Financial Inclusion in Africa’s event last year on Catalyzing Digital Financial Services for Women Across Africa with other female titans.
She is dubbed the “First Lady of Mobile” by Mobile Magazine. She has also won various accolades, including the Ghana Information Technology and Telecommunications Awards (GITTA) CEO of the Year and the CEO’s Summit and Awards Women Leadership Excellence Awards.
The theme of this year’s Africa’s Most Respected CEOs Awards was “The Role of African Corporate Pacesetters in Maximizing the Opportunities Offered by the AfCFTA.” The honorees are chosen from among the nominees in each category based on public voting.
The Business Executive Ltd., an events and media business based in Accra, Ghana, organized the awards ceremony.