Yvonne Okoro Honoured With Distinguished Award

Star actress Yvonne Okoro has been honoured with a Distinguished Achievement Award at this year’s Nigeria Excellence Awards, chaired by His Excellency, Ambassador Musiliu Obanikoro, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana.

The award ceremony, which took place at the La Palm Beach Hotel in Accra on Friday night was to honour Nigerians who have lifted their country’s flag high with honour in their different sectors of work in Ghana.

The beautiful actress was one of the youngest award recipients at the ceremony. She was honoured for her great acting skills and contribution to the African movie industry. It was also to recognise her “Nigerian spirit which is affecting lives positively across the African continent”.

The ceremony brought together high-profile and distinguished Nigerian citizenry in Ghana who received awards in categories like Lifetime Achievement Award, Business Excellence Award, Business Personality Award, Regional Integration and Leadership Award, Community Leadership Award, Sports and Entertainment Award and Outstanding Student Award.

Others who were honoured in the entertainment category were Iyiola Ayoade, CEO of Multiple Concepts Group, parent company of Charterhouse; Theo Akatugba of Point Blank Media Concept, and Silverbird Entertainment Ghana. Chief Bashorun Dele Momodu was also one of the Lifetime Achievement Award recipients.

Yvonne’s award was also in the Sports and Entertainment category. The recognition came at time when many fans are hoping she makes a mark at the 2012 African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) which will be held in Lagos.

She has been nominated for AMAA Best Actress In Leading Role Category for her role in ‘Single Six’, alongside other top African actresses.
Yvonne is always described in many ways. Some say she has been a true inspirer. Indeed, many watch her from the comfort of their homes, cinemas, offices etc. and say she is a symbol of hard work, respect and that rising perfect African woman that many African young ladies aspire to be like.

She is no doubt an iconic figure of true African beauty. Her commanding voice and acting radiate a good confidence of a woman of character and virtue. She is not just an actress but an embodiment of true womanhood. How she comports herself, speaks and relates with people can be compared to none. Her flawless and superb acting dexterity has become a learning material for rookies in the acting trade.

A Bachelor of Arts graduate from the University of Ghana, she is the first actress in Ghana to star in a two-cast movie, ‘Why Marry’, a production that has raised eyebrows in Ghana and beyond. She is also the first Ghanaian actress to appear in a French movie titled ‘Le Hotelier’ in France.

In 2010, she co-won Best Actress at the prestigious Ghana Movie Awards. Two years in a row, she has been nominated for Africa Movie Academy Awards Best Actress In supporting and leading roles categories. She made her screen debut in 2002 in ‘Sticking To The Promise’ produced by Theo Akatugba.

There is no doubt that she is loved for her riveting roles in movies like ‘Adams Apples’, ‘4play’, ‘The Return of Beyonce’, ‘The Game’, ‘Agony Of Christ’, ‘Single Six’ and an endless list of other movies.
Also, it is no secret that Yvonne Okoro has a mixed lineage of Nigerian and Ghanaian parentage; hence she calls herself an African.

She grew up in Ghana and had her basic education at Achimota Preparatory School and then Lincoln Community School before moving to Faith Montessori School. She was at Mfanstiman Girls Senior High School before the University of Ghana. Subsequently, she was at the Universite’ De Nantes in France to study Press Civilization, Drama and Marketing. Yvonne has come a long way in contributing to Africa’s movie industry and indeed she is worth celebrating.