Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani, a popular businessman from Zambia, was one of the winners at the Forbes ‘Best of Africa’ awards ceremony. This award ceremony was held online during the annual Forbes-FIN philanthropy and leadership roundtable conference. Both the events were held virtually as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Rajan Mahtani was awarded the Forbes ‘Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year’ award in response to his significant contributions towards redefining the banking sector of Zambia.

Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani is the owner of several top companies in Zambia including Mahtani Group. The conglomerate is credited for improving the standards of various sectors such as Insurance, Finance, Banking, real estate, mining, energy, agriculture, and many more. Across each of these sectors, the company has provided significant employment and livelihood opportunities along with improvement of the communities, as well as improved standards. Similarly, Dr. Rajan Mahtani has contributed significantly in the form of philanthropic and charitable contributions. Dr. Mahtani established the Prison Fellowship Zambia, a program affiliated with the international Prison Fellowship program in the United States. This program focuses on providing opportunities for justice in the criminal justice department of Zambia. The program further focuses on providing welfare opportunities for the inmates, ex-inmates as well as their families in Zambia. Dr. Rajan Mahtani believes that the root cause of all evil is lack of education. Lack of education opportunities across the nation is the ultimate reason for any nation not uplifting its economy, society as well as overall status. Dr. Rajan Mahtani furthered his cause with the establishment of the Stephen Malama Award. This award is given to the top law graduates in Zambia, who have also cleared their bar exam in their first attempt. The award comes with a significant scholarship which includes prize money, certificates, and plaques recognizing the hard work and dedication of the law graduates. Therefore, it can be said that the Forbes ‘Best of Africa’ award was long due.