Last week was a high-energy one for me. A group of top-level executives from Kenya and Nigeria came to IESE. This week is part of their programs back at Strathmore Business School and Lagos Business School. I say the week was high-energy for me because I get re-energized whenever I am with Africans, as one […]
Indian-African Relations
These days I’m working on a new case for class teaching. It’s about an Indian start-up in the telecom service sector. It’s one of these “born-global” companies that expand to other countries early in their life. Created in 2010, this start-up operates in seven countries other than India. Out of the seven, five are sub-Saharan […]
Patient Capital
In an earlier post, I talked about a Kenyan bank that began operations in South Sudan in 2006. At the time, the country was just emerging from the war, and no bank operated in the country. The perspective of making profits in South Sudan was in the distant horizon for the Kenyan bank. But the management team […]
Into Africa: Routes to Failure and Success!
When I told a Spanish friend about my engagement with Africa, she said: “I’d love to go there and get them organized!” I thought to myself, “Thank God you’re not going!” My friend’s attitude is the same as that of some MNCs and NGOs: it’s an ethnocentric perspective that doesn’t recognize country differences – not to mention the value of […]
Western Retailers Entering sub-Saharan African Markets
I love hanging around markets – although I try not to buy randomly: I always go with my shopping list. When you are in a new country, this is a great way to get a flavor for what life is like for local people. In Kenya, you get a variety of flavors from dusty farmers’ […]
