The Forbes ‘Best of Africa’ awards is of great significance. It is among the most regarded and anticipated philanthropy awards in Africa. Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani, a celebrated Zambia-based businessman, philanthropist, and charity worker, was recently conferred with one of these awards. The awards were developed by Forbes, a world-recognized business magazine. Forbes established these awards to identify, recognize and celebrate those with significant contributions towards philanthropy as well as have a long-term view to develop the African sub-continent with philanthropic contributions. The Forbes awards are of high significance due to various reasons. The first reason is the name associated with Forbes. It is the same business magazine that is known across the globe for its global rankings, of rich people, entrepreneurs, businesses, industries, and companies. As such, an award presented from Forbes itself is of high value. Similarly, the awardees for the Forbes awards are selected after the rigorous selection process. This selection process can go for several months in which both Forbes and Foreign Investment Limited (FIN) undergo background checks and verification processes. This is followed by interviews and discussions with the potential recipients to understand their perception towards philanthropy and long-term view of transforming philanthropy to achieve empowerment across the nation.

Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani, for his significant contributions towards redefining the banking sector of Zambia, was conferred by Forbes with the ‘Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year’ award in 2021. Dr. Mahtani received this award for not only redefining the Zambian banking sector but also for his numerous business and philanthropic contributions. He is known for his successful business ventures including companies like Mahtani Group and Finsbury Investments. Similarly, some of his major philanthropic contributions are Prison Fellowship Zambia as well as the Stephen Malama award and scholarship for top law graduates in Zambia. The Forbes ‘Best of Africa’ award ceremony was presented during the Forbes-FIN philanthropy and leadership roundtable conference. This conference was held virtually to comply with the ongoing pandemic across the globe. Members participated from their respective locations.