The Business Council for Africa (BCA), in collaboration with BrandComms and African Business, announced the shortlist for the 2025 BCA African Business Book of the Year Awards. Now in its third year, the awards celebrate the authors and stories that illuminate the evolving landscape of African entrepreneurship and economic progress.

This year’s shortlist revealed a strong presence of West African authors, with Nigerian writers dominating the selection. The shortlisted titles span a wide array of topics, from leadership and marketing to capital markets, infrastructure, and the unconventional economics of skit-making. Among the highlights is the increasing representation of women, with four of the shortlisted books authored by women—more than in any previous year.

The 2025 judging panel features prominent figures in African business and media, including Arnold Ekpe, Chairperson of the BCA and head of the judging committee; Chris Ogbechie, former Dean of Lagos Business School; Moky Makura, CEO of AfricaNoFilter; Terhas Berhe, Founder of Brand Communications; Omar Ben Yedder, Publisher of African Business; and Anver Versi, Editor of New African and African Banker magazines.

Commenting on the importance of the awards in a press release, Arnold Ekpe remarked, “We have seen research that has quantified the cost of the risk premium we are paying. This is because we are simply not good at telling our stories, and more importantly our business stories. We are seeing more business books being published but the numbers are still tame given that many amazing businesses are emerging on the continent and that we are leading in many sectors, from tech to fashion to film to finance or mining.”

Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in London on July 4, 2025, at the Institute of Directors, 116 Pall Mall. The winner will receive a trophy and $10,000, while second and third place will take home $5,000 and $2,500 respectively.

Shortlist: