Sama, a global leader in AI data annotation solutions, has achieved remarkable recognition by securing third place in the prestigious 2025 Middle and East Africa Inspiring Workplaces Awards. This achievement highlights the company’s exceptional commitment to employee wellbeing and workplace inclusion while maintaining its mission of expanding digital economy opportunities for underserved communities.
Award Recognition for Workplace Excellence
The Inspiring Workplaces Group, operating across multiple continents from its UK headquarters, specifically recognized Sama for outstanding performance in inspiring wellbeing and inclusion. Competing against twelve distinguished finalists including Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, AZA Finance, Bank of Kigali PLC, Concentrix, and Intelcia, Sama distinguished itself through its people-first approach to business operations.
Intelcia and KEO International Consultants claimed first place, followed by Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority in second position. Sama’s third-place finish represents significant achievement given the caliber of regional organizations and rigorous evaluation standards maintained by The Inspiring Workplaces Group.
Mission-Driven Employment and Development
Annepeace Alwala, Vice President of Global Service Delivery at Sama, emphasized the company’s foundational philosophy that “talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not.” This belief drives Sama’s commitment to providing first formal employment opportunities in the digital economy while ensuring comprehensive skills training for career advancement.
In 2024 alone, Sama trained more than 840 individuals and created over 350 new jobs for people previously excluded from formal employment. Since its 2008 inception, the company has helped nearly 70,000 people lift themselves out of poverty through structured training and employment programs validated by MIT-led Randomized Controlled Trials.
Comprehensive Employee Wellbeing Infrastructure
Sama’s recognition stems from its holistic employee experience approach anchored in inclusion, mentorship, wellness, and learning values. The company maintains an in-house wellness team of 10 psychologists, operates a fully equipped on-site clinic in Kenya, and provides partnership-based Employee Assistance Programs.
These investments have produced measurable results, with employee wellbeing engagement scores rising from 73% in 2023 to 77% in 2024. This improvement demonstrates the effectiveness of Sama’s comprehensive workplace wellness strategy and commitment to continuous employee satisfaction enhancement.
Outstanding Diversity and Inclusion Commitment
Sama’s inclusive culture reflects impressive gender representation statistics exceeding industry standards. As of 2024, women comprise 51% of the workplace, 40% of senior management positions, and an exceptional 67% of the executive team1. This level of female leadership representation significantly surpasses typical industry benchmarks and demonstrates genuine commitment to gender equality.
The company’s diversity initiatives extend beyond gender representation through programs like the Give Work Challenge, supporting 48 employee-led ventures, and the Leila Janah Foundation Awards fostering global collaboration. These initiatives encourage innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurial thinking across all organizational levels.
Industry Recognition and Strategic Positioning
This Inspiring Workplaces recognition adds to Sama’s growing collection of prestigious awards, including Newsweek’s America’s Greatest Workplaces for Inclusion & Diversity 2025, the 2024 Innovative BPO Provider award from African Digital Economy Awards, and Best AI Model Validation Solution at AI Breakthrough Awards.
Matt Manners, Founder of the Inspiring Workplaces Group, highlighted during the ceremony that “companies that continue to prioritise profit over people may find themselves facing short-term wins but long-term setbacks.” This perspective reinforces the strategic importance of Sama’s people-first approach in the evolving AI industry landscape.
Global Impact and Client Trust
Sama serves 25% of Fortune 50 companies, including GM, Ford, Microsoft, and Google, who trust the company to deliver industry-leading machine learning models. The company’s enterprise-ready ML-powered platform and SamaIQ™ provide actionable data insights through proprietary algorithms and a highly skilled team of over 5,000 data experts.
As a certified B-Corp, Sama demonstrates commitment to using business as a force for good, ensuring commercial success translates into positive social and environmental impact. This approach increasingly resonates with employees, clients, and stakeholders prioritizing organizations with genuine social responsibility commitments.
The recognition validates Sama’s approach to balancing commercial success with social impact and employee wellbeing, positioning the company for continued growth while maintaining its mission of expanding opportunities for underserved individuals through the digital economy.
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