The award committee in their confirmation to Mr. Saine states: “It is an honor to write to you on behalf of the Board of Directors of THE BUSINESS EXECUTIVE LTD. We wish to extend our sincerest compliments to you for being crowned overall African winner in the “MEDIA – POINT” category of the 2021 Africa’s Most Respected CEOs Awards.”
“This prestigious international award which indelibly confirms your status as a member of an elite group of African CEOs provides you with a unique platform to translate that capacity into new solid business relationships.”
The primary objective of the Africa’s most respected CEOs award scheme is to identify some of the leading CEOs in Africa – and by implication the enterprise they lead – so that enterprises across the continent can have a guide to some of the counterparties they can safely do business with.
This will enable Africa’s hitherto unexploited capacity with regard to intra-continental to be unlocked by enterprises who are guided by these awards as to who to do business with as a starting point.
The award is organised by The Business Executive Magazine, a leading periodical magazine covering economy, business, finance, investment and socio-economic development in West Africa.
Mr. Saine was in a close race with four others from Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.
Speaking to The Point exclusively, Mr. Saine expressed delight for winning the competition despite the tight race in the African continent. He thanked Almighty Allah for making him the winner.
He further expressed gratitude to his family, the Hydara family, staff and management of The Point newspaper, all Gambians and Africans who contributed in his victory.
“The victory is not for me but for The Gambia because Africa has 55 countries and among those countries, participants from five countries were shortlisted. And The Gambia was the smallest country among the five countries,” he pointed out.
He thus acknowledged backing of everyone across Africa, Asia, America and Europe among others in his victory, saying his supports goes beyond Gambia during the competition. Although he pointed out that Gambians giving him support is a national duty.
Mr. Saine described his victory as a great achievement for Gambian press and he justified that the Gambian media had been suppressed and oppressed by former President Yahya Jammeh’s government for 22 years. Despite that, he and others continued working harder to attain the sustainable development goals.
Mr. Saine said the award will add a plus in his career as a publisher, noting “it will sell the name of the country. It will sell the name of my company.”
Consequently, he advised Gambian CEOs and journalists to demonstrate high sense of commitment on their works to attain their goals.
He also thanked his family members for supporting and encouraging him since the commencement of his career.
Mr. Saine is World Press Freedom hero awardee (2010) in Vienna by International Press Institute; a 2006 Press Freedom awardee in Germany by Johann Philip PREIS foundation, and 2014 awardee from The Post of Zambia.
In 2014, the International Press Institute in South Africa dedicated a book to the career of Mr. Saine among the World Press Freedom heroes, together with nine other African heroes. He is also 2019 Man of the Year awardee by the Black American Journalists Association, regrouping the 50 American states.
