De Vries, who spent a career in the logistics space primarily in Africa, is rewarded for her book Africa: Open for Business as winner of the inaugural Business Council for Africa (BCA) (www.BCAfrica.org) African Business Book of the Year Awards; Economist Charlie Robertson is first runner-up with his book The Time-Travelling Economist; Russell Southwood, for his book Africa 2.0: Inside a Continent’s Communications Revolution is second runner-up; Organisers highlighted that the Awards were launched this year to encourage more storytelling around issues of business in Africa.

The Business Council for Africa (BCA) concluded its highly anticipated inaugural ceremony of the BCA African Business Book of the Year Awards, honouring exceptional contributions to business literature in Africa. The event took place on 19 May 2023 at the Africa Centre in London and brought together authors, industry leaders and Africa watchers to celebrate the winners of this literary award in the business and economics category.

This year’s winner is Dr Deanne De Vries for her book Africa: Open for Business. She is a veteran of the logistics industry who spent her career criss-crossing the continent, most recently for global logistics giant Agility. The author, who was based in Mozambique up until 2020, was commended for her clear writing and a book that provided an insightful and useful overview of Africa’s business environment.

The first runner-up is Charlie Robertson for his book The Time-Travelling Economist. Robertson, an economist who has become an authoritative voice on emerging and frontier markets, his book, according to the judges, was “very well-researched, evidence-based and can provide clear learnings as to what policy makers need to focus on.”

The second runner-up is Russell Southwood for his book Africa 2.0: Inside a Continent’s Communications Revolution. Southwood's exploration of a sector that has played a pivotal role in much of the continent’s progress the last two decades struck a chord with the judges.

“We congratulate everyone who participated in this competition for their outstanding achievement,” said Arnold Ekpe, chairman of the Business Council for Africa. "Every book was unique in its own way. They were very different in style and scope, but all equally enjoyable. I am delighted to have finally seen the launch of these awards. We hope the BCA Annual Africa Business Awards will encourage and promote serious discussion and analysis of businesses and economies in Africa.”.

The BCA African Business Book of the Year Awards received over 30 submissions from various authors across the continent. A shortlist of eight books was selected by the Awards Committee, from which the winners were selected. The event served as a testament to the power of business literature in inspiring and driving positive change in Africa.

The event was the brainchild of the Business Council for Africa, and supported by Brand Communications, a leading branding and communications agency, and African Business magazine.

For more information about the winners and their books, please visit the official website of the BCA African Business Book of the Year Awards at www.BCAfrica.org/book-awards