The other day, I attended a panel discussion on “The global strategic landscape.” Panelists were members of IESE’s International Advisory Board. Among them, Ibukun Awosika, founder and CEO The Chair Center Group, and Chairperson of the First Bank of Nigeria. I thought of sharing with you some of her advice for foreign companies willing to invest […]
How do leaders spend their time?
Time is a scarce resource for everybody. That’s the case for business leaders anywhere, including those from places stereotyped as time-mindedless (excuse the linguistic liberty!) such as sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries. There’s a reason why most leaders in these places have a driver: this way, they can work while in traffic jams. How do these […]
Top-10 companies in Africa
The Africa Report published recently their list of Top-500 African companies in terms of turnover (2015 figures). Let’s focus on the Top-10. As the tables below show, at the level of the continent there’s hardly any variation relative to the previous rank, while sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) shows more action. Top climbers: Energies Nouvelles (#233), construction, […]
The Costs of Gender Inequality
Nigerian women present an interesting contrast: they are strong and powerful but at the same time their social status is that of their husband. Gender inequality remains a big issue in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) – as in so many other countries, for that matter. One step at a time, the situation may improve. Organizations like […]
Not Every Country Is Equally Corrupt
A couple of weeks ago, one regular reader of this blog sent me an e-mail. He had been looking for commentaries about corruption in Africa, and he couldn’t find that many. “Why so?” was his question. And my answer: “You’re right in that I don’t talk much about corruption in my blog. The reason is […]
