By Janet Grant

The Afroglobal Excellence Awards gala, presented by Afroglobal Television, was recently held at the Meridian Arts Centre in Toronto.

The annual event celebrates excellence among people of African descent and the theme of this year’s gala was “Rising Beyond Limits.”

Sixteen honourees were selected from various fields, including education, health, media, arts, business, law, politics, and community service, for awards in several categories.

The following were this year’s honourees:

 Tamara Seales, President of Seaford Pharmaceuticals (The Science and Technology Award)

 Joseph Bodun Macaulay, advocate for children with Sickle Cell Disease (The Marcus Garvey Award)

 Kemi Jacobs, Executive Director of Delta Family Resource Centre (The Enterprise Award)

 Michelle “Tome” Akanbi, award-winning singer and recording and performing artist (The Rising Star Award)

 Isioro Tokunbo Jaboro, Founder and Executive Director of the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (The Entertainment Award)

 Dr. Winston LaRose, Executive Director of the Jane-Finch Concerned Citizens Organization (Lifetime Achievement Award)

 Fae Ellington, communications consultant and lecturer (The Professional Achievement Award)

 Ginelle Skerritt, Chief Executive Officer of York Region Children’s Aid Society (The Leadership Award)

 Mark Beckles, Vice President of Social Impact & Innovation at the Royal Bank of Canada (The Martin Luther King Legacy Award)

 Rahel Assefa, Vice President of Marketing, Ethiopian Airlines (The Global Impact Award)

 Clement Virgo, Film and Television Writer, Producer and Director (The Media Award)

 Surjit Babra, Chairman of SkyLink Group and Founder of SkyLink Charity (The Nelson Mandela Humanitarian Award)

 Louis-Edgar Jean-Francois, President of Groupe 3737 and Chairman of the Federation of African Canadian Economics   (The Renaissance Award)

 Toyin Crandell, Founder of Money Mindset SHIFT and host of the Millionaire Money Podcast (The Enterprise Award)

 Ronnie B. Mayanja, Founder of the Uganda Diaspora Network and the Uganda Canada Convention (The Heritage Award)

 Ivan Dawns, Business Representative of the International Union of Painter & Allied Trades (The Visionary Award)

The gala was broadcast live on Afroglobal Television and streamed online on its website.

Royal Canadian Navy Commander Paul Smith and award-winning actress Linda Osifo hosted the awards.

The gala’s entertainment program featured performances by a school choir from the Crawford Academy Choir and a dance group from the Black Arts Centre.