Obtala Limited (LON:OBT), the African agriculture and forestry company, has won the Social Stock Exchange’s ‘Impact Company of the Year’ award.
The award, ‘celebrating the best and rewarding the finest', was for the sub-£150mln market capitalisation quoted company sector.
WATCH: Zak Mir on Obtala
"While the market has started to reward the great strides that we are making within our business, we are equally delighted to be recognised through this award by the Social Stock Exchange. As we scale up our business across sub-Saharan Africa we are creating hundreds of jobs, up-skilling the labour force, and investing in water and power infrastructure that is kick starting economic development in our communities," said Paul Dolan, chief executive officer of Obtala.
Tomás Carruthers, chief executive of the Social Stock Exchange, said: "This recognition confirms that investors in public markets can find companies generating meaningful social as well as financial returns. Impact investing is no passing fad,"
The Social Stock Exchange was founded in 2013 to provide access to the world's first regulated exchange dedicated to businesses and investors seeking to achieve a positive social and environmental impact through their activities. They now encompass 57 members, who have all passed a stringent validation process, with a collective value of £2bn.