- “All Hands on Deck: Unleash Prosperity Through World Class Capital Markets” by Arunma Oteh emerged as the winner of the prestigious award for 2025
- Africonomics: A History of Western Ignorance by Bronwen Everill emerged as the runner-up.
- Toni Kan’s Riding the Storm: The Untold Story of Africa’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic covering the African response to the Covid-19 pandemic was awarded the second runner-up prize.
- Organisers lauded the exciting shortlisted books but lamented the general paucity of stories about African business and enterprise.
At a glittering ceremony hosted at the Institute of Directors in London on Friday, July 4, 2025, the book, “All Hands on Deck: Unleash Prosperity Through World-Class Capital Markets” by Nigerian economist and former World Bank Treasurer, Arunma Oteh, was announced as the winner of the prestigious 2025 BCA Business Book of the Year Award.
Oteh’s compelling work offers a powerful case for the urgent reform and integration of Africa’s capital markets. With insight drawn from decades at the helm of global finance institutions, she presents a sharp critique of the structural gaps holding the continent back, while setting a forward-looking agenda for inclusive economic transformation. The book clinched the top prize—$10,000 and a commemorative trophy—for its clarity, rigor, and relevance.
Now in its third edition, the BCA Business Book of the Year Awards, promoted by the Business Council for Africa with support from Brand Communications and African Business magazine, continues to spotlight the continent’s most influential and thought-provoking business writing.
This year’s runner-up was Africonomics: A History of Western Ignorance by Bronwen Everill, a trenchant analysis of the economic misconceptions and paternalism that have shaped Western engagement with Africa. Judges hailed the book for its bold narrative and intellectual depth, awarding it a $5,000 prize.
Toni Kan’s Riding the Storm: The Untold Story of Africa’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic was named second runner-up. Chronicling Africa’s united front during the global scramble for vaccines and medical supplies, the book was praised for capturing an often-overlooked chapter in the pandemic’s global impact. Kan received a prize of $2,500.
The judging panel, chaired by BCA Chairperson Arnold Ekpe, featured a distinguished lineup of African business and media leaders, including Chris Ogbechie (former Dean, Lagos Business School), Terhas Berhe (Founder, Brand Communications), Omar Ben Yedder (Publisher, African Business), Moky Makura (CEO, AfricaNoFilter), and Anver Versi (Editor, New African and African Banker).
The evening also featured the annual Kaye Whiteman Memorial Lecture—named in honour of the late journalist dedicated to African affairs—which was delivered by Mr. Papa Ndiaye, the founding partner of AFIG Funds and current non-executive Chairman of Ecobank. Ndiaye’s remarks highlighted the role of finance and investment in shaping a resilient and forward-thinking African economy.
Organisers celebrated the diversity of this year’s shortlisted works, which spanned biographies of business leaders, manufacturing and capital market reform, infrastructure development, intra-African travel, the business of skit-making, and gas-based industrialisation. However, they also expressed concern over the limited volume of published works focused on African business, calling for greater investment in storytelling about enterprise and innovation on the continent.
Commenting on the awards, Arnold Ekpe said, “We are still far from where we would like to be in terms of books that help us better understand the business landscape on the continent, which is dynamic and thriving. We hope the publicity generated by the BCA award and the valuable cash prizes will encourage more writers and business people to undertake the journey and give publishers the confidence they need to push the books beyond the often narrow confines.”
Omar Ben Yedder echoed this sentiment, noting, “Given the original angles one gets from African writers who project different worldviews and respond to different cultural forces, we should, in time, find a niche for African business writing that could become as popular as African music and fiction. These awards are an invaluable springboard for an exciting new departure in African literature.”
The BCA Business Book Awards stand as a rallying point for authors, publishers, entrepreneurs, and readers committed to shaping a deeper and more nuanced understanding of Africa’s economic journey—one story, one book at a time.
