Something I find amusing is that most African women use not only hair extensions but also wigs. I went to a Nakumatt supermarket in Nairobi, and I was amazed at the space dedicated to wigs! Women change their hairstyle so often that at times I’ve a hard time recognizing faces. This is but an indication […]
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Cooperating with suppliers
Last week I interviewed the Country Manager for Kenya of a large agricultural trading group. The group originated in Africa, and it operates worldwide. What attracted my attention the most is its cooperative approach to dealing with its suppliers. In this group, they buy commodity products from small farmers, and accumulate their volumes to sell. […]
Intra-African trade and transportation
When I wrote about intra-Africa business travel a few weeks ago, Charles Ivenco – one of my friends from Lagos Business School – left a comment in which he told us about the improvements in air transportation over the last decade, and how this is related to the increased levels of intra-African trade. According to […]
Agriculture in Kenya
One thing is to know that the agricultural business represents roughly 50% of Kenya’s GDP (including indirect contributions), and another thing is to observe how this is created. Last week I joined a group of IESE MBA students in their visit to two companies in this industry: Vegpro, and Kreative Roses. Both of them quite […]
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Africans’ communal mentality
In a comment to an earlier post, Patricia Ferrando shared her experience coaching successful Nigerian entrepreneurs. She highlighted their commitment to giving back to society and to contributing to the development of the less privileged. Patricia’s comment made me reflect upon Africans’ communal mentality. Let me share some examples I have seen while in Lagos. […]