Celebrating Exporting SMEs

DHL Exporters of the Year, 2025 - Africa Edition

Honouring Africa’s boldest SMEs - advancing global trade, economic growth, and sustainable impact.

Celebrating Exporting SMEs Across Sub-Sahara Africa

The awards recognise SME's innovation and performance in exporting their products globally. The awards have 3 categories, the ESG Excellence Award, the Woman Exporter Award, and the Global Expansion Award. These awards are open to exporting SMEs operating out of Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA).

Objectives of the Awards

Celebration of Excellence

The award celebrates outstanding SMEs involved in international trade. It reinforces DHL's commitment to acknowledging and supporting SMEs success in international trade. The winning SMEs excellence are acknowledged through a business investment award of EUR 4,000.00.

Promotion of Best Practices

The awards are aimed at encouraging SMEs to share innovative strategies and best practices among exporters. This is aligned with DHL's focus on excellence in logistics and supply chain management. The winning SMEs participate in a fully immersive innovation experience at DHL's Innovation Centre in Dubai.

Support Economic Growth

The awards recognise SMEs that have been successful in growing their businesses in SSA through exporting into regional and global markets. The winners of the awards would be celebrated across DHL Africa's digital channels and networks, highlighting their resilience in doing business in Africa and contribution to the economic development of the SSA region.

Mentorship for Growth

The award offers winning SMEs access to expert mentoring by senior DHL executives, providing SMEs with strategic guidance on international trade expansion. This is a reinforcement of DHL's commitment to nurturing SME development and capacity building.

SMEs are the heartbeat of our global economy. With these awards, DHL recognises and celebrates them for the critical role they play in growing trade, strengthening Africa’s role in the global marketplace and improving the lives of people in communities.

Hennie Heymans

CEO, DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa

Award Eligibility and Categories

To qualify for the DHL Exporters of the Year Awards, applicants must meet the following criteria:

General Eligibility

Legal Registration: The business must be legally registered in a Sub-Saharan African country. A valid 2025 Company Registration Certificate or Tax Clearance Certificate is required
Business Tenure: The SME must have been operational for at least 3 years
Business Size: The SME should employ 25 or less full-time employees
Nature of Business: The SME must be involved in the creation, production, manufacturing, or trading of physical goods/products. Service-based businesses are not eligible
Export Activity: The SME must have been engaged in cross-border trade for a minimum of 1 year, either Regionally or globally
All eligible SMEs must maintain an active digital presence, such as a website or social media platform
It is preferred for eligible SMEs to have at least 25% of products sold through eCommerce channels

Special Category

Woman Exporter Award - For this category, the SME must be woman-owned or woman-led

ESG Excellence Award

The ESG Excellence Award is granted to SMEs that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to sustainable practices, ethical governance, and social responsibility in their operations.

Winning SMEs are awarded based on their contribution to any one of the ESG elements, in conjunction with digitalisation.

ESG Elements

Environmental Impact: Efforts to mitigate carbon footprints, improve waste management, sustainable sourcing, and resource conservation
Social Responsibility: Engagement with communities, fair labor practices, and contributions to social well-being
Governance: Transparency, ethical business practices, and adherence to data privacy regulations
Digitalization: Demonstrated use of digital tools, including e-commerce and social media, to promote the sustainability agenda

Woman Exporter Award

The award recognizes women exporters who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, and success in growing their export businesses into global markets.

The winner is based on their measurable contributions.

Measurable Contribution:

Community Impact: Demonstrating a positive influence on their community or industry by empowering (new) female employees/entrepreneurs
Market Entry (Growth): Successful entry into new markets, highlighting growth opportunities and customer base diversification
Digitalization: Demonstrated use of digital tools, including e-commerce and social media, to enhance operational efficiency, customer engagement, and drive growth

Global Expansion Award

The Global Expansion Award celebrates excellence in international trade expansion and recognizes SMEs that have grown significantly due to their increased participation in global trade.

Measurable growth through:

Export Growth: Demonstrating positive sales and revenue growth of the enterprise through cross border trade
Market Expansion: Successful expansion, and increased competitiveness of product exports into regional and global markets
Product Innovation: Highlighting innovation in products, customer service delivery and operational processes that have boosted exports of the enterprise
Digitalisation: Demonstrated use of digital tools, including e-commerce and social media, to boost enterprise export volumes

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Apply for the Awards

Application to the Awards are open until 30th October 2025

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