The prestigious ceremony was held at the RBS Bank Headquarters in London, supported by NatWest, Bank and the Mayor of London. An annual publication ‘BE Mogul’ was launched to celebrate the contribution of black British business owners and highlights the contribution of entrepreneurs of African and Caribbean origin to the UK economy and acknowledges the movers and shakers in Britain’s black business community.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London in his message highlighted that over 1.2 million Londoners are of black descent, almost 16% of our city’s population, so it is obvious that black businesses and entrepreneurs have a vital role to play in our future prosperity, bringing innovation and dynamism, as well as links to overseas markets. From finance to design and retail to food, black entrepreneurs are already making a huge contribution to our city’s success.

There are many successful Black British entrepreneurs, some of whom have worked hard against all odds to make it. Unfortunately they’re not always acknowledged for their hard work. That’s the inspiration behind ME Mogul.

Here are some facts and figures you might not have seen before:

• In the 1990s, the majority of black-owned businesses mainly served the black community, with niche services like hairdressing, food retail and catering.
• Today an increasing number of black entrepreneurs are running multimillion pound companies in mainstream sectors such as IT, financial services, property, media and fashion, as well as law, consulting, recruitment and other professional services.
• In London alone, there are 16,000 businesses owned by people of black African and Caribbean descent.
• London’s black-owned businesses currently employ 100,000 people and generate a combined annual sales turnover of around £10 billion*.

“BE Mogul provides a platform for positive business role models, who may not have been recognised in the mainstream media, to inspire and encourage others. We want to shout loud and proud about the positive economic contribution black-owned businesses are making in Britain today.” – Mavis Amankwah, co-founder

Willy has won various awards among others: Common Wealth Business Innovation Award (2008), UCAA Awards – Communications and Media (2008), Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award – BB Awards (2014), GAB Award for promotion of the Positive image of Africa (2014).

Willy also won an innovative award for inventing a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi marketing device (ePRO Bluetooth Long Range advertising transmitter). The “ePro Bluetooth” a mobile marketing device, allows businesses to send adverts to mobile phones by free transfer of content between mobile devices using the Bluetooth signal.

“It is not how much turnover your business make a year but how much inspiration and value to your community” Willy Muteza.

Business:  The Promota Africa Ltd

Business interests in magazine publication, events management, private equity bridging, printing and design, web and multimedia design and property in Uganda.

How did you get into the business? :

I started my business after graduated in 2002 with a BA in Digital Arts and Multimedia Computing from Thames Valley University, London.

What has been the highlight of your career? :

Over the past 12 years, I have engaged the UK business community as a trade and investment consultant and advisor for the Ugandan Government and Uganda Private Sector.

I became a Marketing Ethnic Consultant for Western Union from 2005 to 2010 and subsequently for Brussels Airlines.

In 2011, I initiated and championed the annual Uganda UK Convention, a Trade and Investment event which has been highly successful, and continues to grow from strength to strength every year. These prestigious conventions have been presided over by several high profile speakers and delegates both from the UK and Uganda, such as Uganda Vice President Hon Edward Ssekandi, Lord Popat, Patrick Bitature, First Lady of Uganda Janet Kataaha Museveni and many high profile people.

In 2010, I founded an innovative Bluetooth and Wi-Fi mobile marketing device (ePRO Bluetooth Long Range advertising transmitter). The “ePro Bluetooth” allows businesses to send adverts to mobile phones by free transfer of content between mobile devices using the Bluetooth signal. The device has now been deployed and bought by top companies like MoneyGram International.

What three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today? :

• Understand your market and seek for business support and training whenever needed
• Surround yourself with the best talent you can and those who positively motivate you
• Have a business plan to guide you and have a financial model in place