The Council for Business Innovation and Excellence (CBIE) brings together Nigeria’s most brilliant entrepreneurs, innovators, and thought leaders in business and technology each year. While the buzz of creativity and enterprise fills the air, CBIE’s enduring strength stems from its commitment to depth, substance, and long-term transformation.
Over time, the event has established itself as a must-attend for business visionaries and solution-driven startups. Its growing influence is due not to pageantry but to the council’s unwavering standards and strategic approach to evaluating innovation.
The eminent panel of judges serves as the foundation of this process. These experts are chosen via a rigorous process that stresses their professional accomplishments, wide cross-sector experience, and well-known reputation for impartiality and keen insight. This year’s panel includes six highly successful experts, Chidinma Egbu, Muideen Bankole, Nosariemen Nosakhare, Ifeanyi Olatunbosun, Abdulmalik Eromosele and Amina Muhhamed. Their contributions lend credibility and focus to the event.
Rather than being passive observers, these professionals engage rigorously with each presentation, challenging ideas and advocating for clarity, feasibility, and real-world application. Their guidance transforms the competition into a learning environment in which potential is validated through inquiry and thoughtful criticism.
Participants are evaluated using a structured and transparent set of metrics, which include
- Novelty and Inventiveness: Gauging the uniqueness and transformative promise of the concept.
- Operational Viability and Expansion Capability: Assessing whether the project is grounded, executable, and capable of evolving at scale.
- Relevance and Societal Benefit: Evaluating how well the idea addresses existing challenges or capitalizes on market opportunities.
- Economic Soundness: Reviewing the robustness and durability of the financial architecture.
- Presentation Mastery: Evaluating how convincingly the proposal is articulated and defended.
To ensure fairness and compliance with CBIE’s basic principles, assessors are oriented on the assessment technique prior to the event. This guarantees that feedback is candid and constructive, and that every endeavor is evaluated using a common definition of greatness.
It serves as a rigorous testing ground, not only for talent but also for discipline, preparation, and execution. Therefore, rather than being romanticized, innovation is seen as a disciplined endeavor.
CBIE continues to raise the bar for Nigerian innovation by promoting thorough evaluation, mentorship, and insight. Its mission extends beyond competition, cultivating a movement that values integrity, foresight, and purpose-driven innovation. As each edition progresses, CBIE solidifies its position as a foundation for future-ready entrepreneurship.
