Three Ghanaians Win Global Award

Bright Simmons of IMANI Ghana

Three accomplished young Ghanaians, Messrs Kimathi Kuenyehia, Sr., Bright Simmons and Fred Swaniker, were today named Young Global Leaders (YGLs) by the World Economic Forum (WEF) for their extraordinary achievements in various fields below the age of 40.

The prestigious honour is bestowed each year by the Switzerland-based economic think on some of the most extraordinary leaders in various fields below the age of 40 from around the world in recognition of their “professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspiring leadership”.

This year, the forum selected 190 Young Global Leaders from over 70 countries who are all stakeholders of society in areas such as business, civil society, social entrepreneurs, politics and government, arts and culture, opinion and media.

The three Ghanaians are part of the 18 young leaders selected from sub-Saharan Africa. They were chosen by a selection committee, chaired by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, out of a pool of more than 5,000 nominations.

“The 2012 honourees will become part of the broader Forum of Young Global Leaders that currently comprise over 700 outstanding individuals from over 100 countries. The YGLs convene at biannual summits, as well as forum events and meetings throughout the year, and collaborate on initiatives to tackle some of the key challenges of our generation,” the WEF said in a release.

This year, the summit will be in Mexico from April 14-17, 2012.

Previous honourees include former English Prime Minister, Tony Blair; Microsoft founder, Bill Gates; Google co-founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Nigerian activist and writer, Ken Saro-Wiwa Jr; Facebook founder Mark Zuckaberg; golfer Tiger Woods and fashion designer, Oswald Boateng, a Elikem Nutifafa Kuenyehia of Oxford and Beaumont.

Mr Kuenyehia, Sr. is a Harvard-educated corporate lawyer who specialises in negotiating and advising on complex transactions. He is practices as a Solicitor and Barrister in Ghana and an Attorney and Counselor in New York, USA.

He is the Managing Partner at Kimathi & Partners, one of the leading corporate law firms in Ghana and has consistently been ranked as one of Ghana's top corporate lawyers by independent publications such as Chambers & Partners, IFLR 1000, Acquisition International and Corporate International Magazines.

“I am surprised and deeply humbled by the honour; I just thank God for his favour,” Mr Kimathi told the Daily Graphic when reached for comments.

Part of a letter addressed to Mr Kuenyehia Sr. read; “Your nomination is in recognition of your record of professional accomplishments, your commitment to society and your potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through your inspiring leadership.”

Mr Bright Simons is the President of the Mpedigree Network in Ghana and a researcher at IMANI Center for Policy and Education, an award-winning policy analysis centre.

Mr Frank Swaniker is the co-Founder of the African Leadership Academy in South Africa and co-founder of the prestigious Africa Leadership Network.