The Judging Panel for the Gathering of Africa Best (GAB) Awards has released the names of the initial batch of Finalists who have made it past the first stage of the screening process.

Recipients of the GAB Awards will be announced at a colourful ceremony holding at the Hilton London Paddington on Sunday 23rd October.

The list of those who made it as Finalists range from achievers in the fields of Finance, Business, Media, Entertainment, Health, Charity, Youth Empowerment, Community Engagement, and more. 
The Finalists include: Mrs Evelyn Oputu – the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Bank of Industry Nigeria; Em Ekong – Director of Urban Inclusion London; Gibril Faal – Chair of the African Foundation for Development; Lyamide Thomas – Regional Care Advisor of the Sickle Cell Society UK; Music Producer - Anthony Everest; Broadcaster par excellence – Princess Deun Adedoyin-Solarin of Princess of Arize; and Chief Superintendent Wayne Chance – London’s Southwark Borough Police Commander. 
Others include Richard Taylor OBE of the Damilola Taylor Trust; Actress Ellen Thomas; Dr Comfort Momoh MBE – a Public Health Specialist; colourful Media guru - Dr Bisi Olatilo; Atul Bhakta – Managing Director of One World Express Inc; Dayo Olomu – Founder of dayoolomu.com; and journalist – Jasmine Dotiwala. 
The GAB Awards was founded in 1999 by The Trumpet newspaper (Britain’s largest distributed Black newspaper) against the backdrop of huge negative publicity being flaunted by the UK mainstream media, among many others. 
The importance and high profile of the GAB Awards has been acknowledged by the Mayor of London. In 2007, the GAB Awards was celebrated as one of the programmes of the Mayor’s Black History Month Season.
Past events have attracted the support and presence of numerous African missions and their Heads; Royalties; Celebrities from numerous areas of human endeavour; UK and African government officials and politicians; because of the lofty ideals the event represents. Past guests have included the Heads of Mission of Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Namibia, Egypt, Sierra Leone;HRH Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III – the Alaafin of Oyo, HRH Oba T.A. Akinloye, Sateru II – the Ojomu of Ajiranland, Prince Bola Ajibola, Chief & Chief (Mrs) J.K. Randle, Chief & Chief (Mrs) Oluwole Adeosun, John Fashanu, Rt.Hon. Simon Hughes, Rt. Hon. Dianne Abbott (both of the British 
Parliament), William Hague (then leader of the Conservative Party), Erelu Lola Ayonrinde – two-time Mayor of the London Borough of Wandsworth; Cllr Anna Mbachu (then Mayor of Waltahm Forest), John Bowis (MEP), Lloyd â€˜Ragamuffin’ Honeyghan – the former undisputed and two-time World Boxing champion, but to mention a few. 

Previous recipients of the GAB awards include Nelson Mandela, Professor George Kirya, Henry Annan, Anthonia Okonma of Bad Girls, Cyril Nri of The Bill, Paralympics medallist Ade Adepitan,Chief Dele Momodu, Ishola Akay (MBE), Most Rev. Father Olu Abiola (OBE), Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Patti Boulaye, and the late Professor Thomas Adeoye Lambo.