Royal Canadian Navy Commander Paul Smith & Award Winning Actress Linda Osifo to MC AfroGlobal Excellence Awards GALA
Afroglobal Television is delighted to announce Royal Canadian Navy Commander Paul Smith and Award-Winning Actress Linda Osifo as the Masters of Ceremonies for the prestigious 2023 Afroglobal Excellence Awards, scheduled for October 21st at Toronto’s upscale Meridian Arts Centre. They take over from the MC mic from Hon. Greg Fergus, who now holds the historic position of Speaker of the parliament of Canada.
Commander Paul Smith officially took control of Her Majesty Canadian Ship (HMCS) York in 2010, becoming its first Black commander. After commanding the Kingston and Summerside, Smith was appointed Task Force Commander for Neptune Trident 17-1. HMCS Summerside and Moncton were deployed to West Africa in February 2017 to conduct strategic engagements, support capacity building and build relationships with partners throughout the region. Smith hosted Prime Minister Stephen Harper on board for his annual tour of Canada’s Arctic
Linda Osifo is a Nigerian Canadian film and television actress. She has been featured in major films and series currently on Netfilix and other platforms, including Merry Men, Fifty and Naija Christmas. In 2015, she was nominated for the ELOY award for her role in the hit TV series, Desperate Housewives Africa. Featured in the popular soap opera Tinsel as Nina Fire, she is the Co-Host of the “Give ‘n’ Take National Jackpot” game show, alongside veteran Nigerian star Segun Arinze.
The prestigious Excellence Awards gala, presented by the 24-hour Afroglobal Television channel, is set for Saturday, October 21st, 2023. This year’s glitzy red carpet affair will feature recipients and dignitaries from around the world. Representatives of all three levels of government, community and corporate leaders will be in attendance. It will be broadcast on Afroglobal Television as well as OMNI Television, courtesy of Rogers Media, with programming online, including www.AfroglobalTelevision.com.
Since 2004, the awards gala has honoured esteemed achievers and brought together people of African descent and others of goodwill, to celebrate inspiring success stories, including Dr. Bernice King, CEO of The King Centre in Atlanta, USA and daughter of Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; The Hon. Dr. Jean Augustine, former cabinet minister and MP; legendary South African singer, Yvonne Chaka Chaka; and The Right Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, first female prime minister of Jamaica.
Past recipients of the awards also include Kevin Williams, President and Managing Director of General Motors Canada; Professor Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate; Hon. Jean Augustine, Former Minister and Fairness Commissioner; Douglas Orane, Chairman of Grace Foods; Daniel Igali, Olympic Gold Medalist and Isaiah Washington, Hollywood Star. The event has also recognised African movie starts including Majid Michel, RMD, Jim Iyke, Desmond Elliott, Ramsey Nouah and Jackie Appiah, among others.
Sponsors include Royal Bank of Canada, George Brown College, TD Bank, York Regional Police, Ethiopian Airlines, Afrocan Foods, Western University, EY, The Transformation institute For Leadership & Innovation and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. Sponsorship opportunities are available.
SOURCE Sasha Stoltz Publicity
