African Development Bank’s ENNOVA Campaign Secures NABJ Award

The campaign, honored in the 'PR and Marketing Campaigns: Cause-Related Business' category, focused on lowering barriers to entry for young African business owners. By deploying a mix of explainer videos, targeted social media content, and high-visibility event activations, the bank effectively bridged the gap between complex development programming and its intended end-users.

Martin Fregene, the bank’s Officer in Charge of the Vice Presidency for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, underscored that infrastructure alone is insufficient without clear communication. The effort gained significant momentum following a February 2025 launch at the Sankalp Africa Summit in Kenya. During the event, more than 500 of the 1,500 attendees registered for the platform, signaling an urgent demand for digital business support tools.

Administered by the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab, ENNOVA functions as a collaborative project backed by the European Commission, Switzerland, and the Fund for African Private Sector Assistance. Martha Phiri, Director for Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development, emphasized that the platform represents a collective effort to transform Africa’s youth demographic into a primary engine for economic growth. With five NABJ awards earned in less than a decade, the institution continues to leverage professional storytelling as a critical component of its broader development strategy.