Africa Now Directors Win Ernst & Young Award
Usha Kar and Rob Hale of Africa Now have won a prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for their work developing 
a unique service that promotes ethical trade with Africa.
From providing ad hoc consultancy work for British-based companies who were keen to work with producers in Africa, Usha and Rob have developed Africa Now's Ethical Business Services into an innovative, cutting edge service that is used by many of the leading international retailers.
The Ethical Business Services team provides social audits to ensure that farms and factories that produce goods across Africa do so in an ethical way. Audits ensure that workers receive a fair wage and that conditions meet local and international standards.
Audits undertaken by Africa Now have a further impact - proceeds from this work are invested back into Africa Now's development projects, supporting small-scale producers to access sustainable markets. This unique "benefit" coupled with the increasing demand for Ethical Business Services impressed the Ernst & Young judging panel who selected Usha and Rob as winners of the Social Category in the Southern Region.
Usha, Executive Director of Africa Now said: "I am delighted that our services supporting workers across Africa has been recognised. We work very closely with companies in the UK and internationally to ensure that the goods that labour standards are being met".
Rob, who is based in Nairobi and is Director of Ethical Business Services said "There is a growing demand for ethically produced goods and I am glad that the service we offer ensures companies are able to do just that. We have grown the team from just 6 people working in Kenya at the start of 2005 to over 70 trained auditors in 14 countries today."