The Doing Business in Africa Award process starts by the NABC inviting its member companies to submit their application for an eligibility screening or nominate a company that is based in the Netherlands that does sustainable and impactful work on the continent. The application/nomination must include an explanation on the key three pillars of the criteria: does the company provide innovative solutions to the African challenges? Is the company sustainable in their activities, including if the company is financially viable? And, is the company promoting an inclusive economic-development via their activities i.e. does the company use local suppliers in their value-chain? Does the company generate local employment opportunities? And does the company clearly demonstrate a future-proof business model?

The submission period for the Doing Business in Africa Award of 2023 will open from September 2023. 

Once the submissions are in, the carefully selected Doing Business in Africa Award committee (consisting of a mixture of Senior NABC staff (2) and the Supervisory Board members (2) and a Doing Business in Africa Award recipient (1)) reviews the submissions to ensure that they meet the specific criteria: Innovation, Sustainability, and Inclusiveness. The purpose of the screening is not to make business or technical judgments about the submission, but rather to make sure that each entry is eligible.

The first round of voting involves the NABC and the nominated companies following a two week promotion period inviting people to vote for the company they believe deserve the award.

After the two-week voting period, the top three companies with the most votes are selected as the finalists for the Doing Business in Africa Award ceremony that takes place at the Ambassadors Dinner. The finalists are asked to prepare a pitch to present at the annual Ambassadors Dinner.

The final voting takes place live during the annual NABC’s Ambassadors Dinner. Each finalist has the opportunity to pitch why they believe they should win the Doing Business in Africa award. The pitch should be based on the three pillars of the DBA Award criteria: Innovative, sustainable, and inclusivity. Once the finalists have pitched their company, the audience is invited to use any device with access to the internet to vote for the company they believe should win the DBA Award. The company with the most votes is announced as the winner of the DBA Award.