Andela Receives U.S. Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence

Andela, an international information technology firm and a hub of engineering teams with world-class software developers, has been honoured with (United States) Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE).

Presenting the Award in Lagos, Stuart Symington, the new U. S. Ambassador to Nigeria, said that the award was in recognition of the organisation’s efforts at improving Nigerian lives.

Symington said that the U. S. had closely been following how Andela had been creating employment opportunities, transforming lives and the economy in Nigeria.

“Of all businesses in the world today, there are businesses doing their best, not just to make money, but to positively change lives. And, this is exactly what Andela has been doing secretly in Nigeria. Andela has been generating employment opportunities, affecting lives and Nigeria’s economy.

“In the Small and Medium size category, Andela became the global winner of the U. S. Secretary of State Award for Excellence. And, we are very happy to present this Award to you. Congratulations to Andela,’’ he said.

Symington, who enjoined the organisation to sustain its activities in Nigeria, said that his government was impressed with how it was connecting Nigerians with Information Technology

Seni Sulyman, country director of Andela in Nigeria, who commended the U. S. government for the award, said that it was the team of Andela’s office in Nigeria that gave the office the global recognition.

Sulyman commended the staff for their commitment, dedication to duty and hard work, since the Nigerian Office of Andela was opened.

The country director also commended the U. S. Government for following what the Nigerian office of Andela had been doing, to make Nigerians harness the benefits of information technology.

He urged the staff to see the Award as a call for them to re-dedicate themselves to their duties, and keep the organisation flying, both locally and internationally.

The annual Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) recognizes U.S. firms that uphold high standards of responsible business conduct.

Established in 1999, the Award seeks to highlight ways in which U.S. companies represent American values in the way they do business, in line with international best practices such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

Andela was recognized at the ACE Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on January 5, 2017, by former Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Andela recruits the most talented developers on the African continent, shape them into technical leaders, and place them as full-time distributed team members with companies that range from Microsoft and IBM to dozens of high-growth startups.

Backed by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, GV (Google Ventures) and Spark Capital, Andela is building the next generation of global technology leaders.