Africa is on the move. The future is there. But Africa hides many different realities. Its regions are diverse, and countries within each region are very different as well. So, if your company –whether indigenous or foreign – is considering expanding into an African country, how should it go about it? Here are some do’s and don’ts […]
Even Neighboring Countries are Distant
As I ventured into Nigeria and Kenya, the locals warned me: “don’t think all of Africa is like us.” In fact, This has important implications for companies doing business in Africa and expanding in the continent: whether traditional multinationals, emerging market multinationals (EMMs), Pan-African companies, and even African regional companies. What does country distance mean? In his CAGE […]
Launching Consumer Brands in sub-Saharan Africa
“GDP is not the best way to determine whether or not to go into an African country“, the founder of a successful Nigerian company with operations across the continent told me. This wisdom also applies to launching a consumer brand in Africa. Nielsen’s recent report “Africa: How to navigate the retail distribution labyrinth” confirms this. […]
Together Raw Materials and Technology can Transform African Business
A cocoa grower from Ghana was once shown a piece of chocolate. It was the first time he had ever seen such a thing. When he was told what it was, he exclaimed, “Oh! really? Does this come from the cocoa beans?” These days new technologies are being harnessed to enable growers of cocoa and […]
How do the Chinese and Africans mingle?
Chinese investments in Africa have been gaining pace since the turn of the century. And Chinese people have immigrated onto the continent along with their investments. That much we knew. What I didn’t know is that Africans are also migrating to China, according to articles in The Africa Report. One of them, called “People are […]
