SABA (Somali Annual Business Awards ) Awards program, launched in early 2017 using globally accepted performance index assessment tools is committed to rewarding those individuals and organizations who are demonstrating exceptional business performance in Somalia.
SABA Awards was conceived by The Somalia Investor Magazine Consortium and involved experts in the design, programming and successful delivery of awards in Africa.
The award’s process usually takes 3 months of participant seminars, assessors training and company visits, technical analysis, jury meetings to deliberate findings and approve and then finally Gala Dinner to award winners of respective categories.
SABA Awards is aiming to motivate Somali business to realize their hidden potentials and promote the Private- Public-Dialogue, the SME sector, as well as Women and Youth entrepreneurs. It also seeks to show case the Somali side of creative, bold and daring positive attitude of Somalis that has kept the country breathing since the advent of the civil strife in 1991 and also encourage ease of doing business in Somalia.
Somalis, in the words of Samiyo Omar “…We Somalis don’t look back. We just keep going!!” Somalis have inborn entrepreneurship talents; hence SABA Awards aims to uncover and discover more of this hidden talent among Somalis.
The design of SABA Awards ensures that it is a water-tight process. The participant companies and individual (the youth SME entrepreneur, the best SME woman in business) are verified before entering the program. Participants is then given brief training so that they are aware of the award assessment criteria and the entire process.
SABA Awards participants have the opportunity to be connected to banks and financial life-lines. Some Mogadishu banks and big businesses have expressed willingness to provide supply- chain facilities and financial streams to businesses that are formal and obtained SABA Awards assessment.
SABA Awards have eight categories to be won by competent and proven corporations and enterprises that are formal and are managed according to the international management best practices. The categories include; SABA CEO of the year; Best company to work for; Best marketer of the year; Best company in Corporate Social Responsibility; Best Bank of the year; Best Woman SME of the year; Best Youth SME of the year; Overall Best SABA Company of the year.
In 2019, SABA Awards wishes to invite over 600 business personalities to witness the 3rd award gala night to be held at Jazeera Palace Hotel in Mogadishu on 10th of January 2019.
