Order of the Baobab

The Order of the Baobab
Awarded by President of South Africa
Type	National Order
Eligibility	South African citizens
Awarded for	Service
Status	Currently constituted
Grades	Supreme Counsellor (SCOB) Grand Counsellor (GCOB) Counsellor (COB)
Statistics
First induction	10 December 2002
Total inductees	100
Ribbon section

The Order of the Baobab is a South African civilian national honour, awarded to those for service in business and the economy; science, medicine, and for technological innovation; and community service. It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and is awarded annually by the President of South Africa. The order is named after the baobab tree, which was chosen as a symbol because of its endurance and tolerance, its vitality, its importance in agro-forestry systems, and its use as a meeting place in traditional African societies.^[1]

Until the Order of Luthuli and the Order of Ikhamanga were established in 2004, the Order of the Baobab also covered service in the fields now covered by those orders.