Ten Africans to be honored with China-Africa Friendship Award

BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Ten African people will be among the winners of the Second China-Africa Friendship Award, an official with the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries said Friday.

"We have started to nominate candidates for the award and the results are due in March 2009," said Lin Yi, who is responsible for the association's Asian and African affairs.

She said the work of candidate assessment would last until September this year and the winners for 2009 would include 10 Africans as well as 10 Chinese.

The award is designed for those Chinese and African people who have been working hard over the years to promote Sino-African friendship and made outstanding contributions in this regard. The candidates need also to be influential and well-known both in China and Africa.

The award is delivered every three years and 10 Chinese people were honored in the First China-Africa Friendship Award in December 2006.