A couple of weeks ago the news came out that Kenya has seen its economy grow 25% after statistical revision. Officially, Kenya is now a “middle-income country.” A few months ago, a similar type of revision brought Nigeria’s economy to the top of African countries in terms of the size of the economy, surpassing South […]
Doing business in Nigeria: overcoming cultural challenges
Energy and physical stamina are personal characteristics that tend to be associated with power. Based on their physical appearance, Nigerians could be compared to US basketball players. This feature can be intimidating, and especially so when it comes along with a loud voice. In fact, Nigerians describe themselves as “loud and proud.” This is one […]
Doing business in Africa: some practical advice
Last week I heard a talk by a consultant from Roland Berger who specialized in Sub-Saharan and Southern Africa. He offered some practical advice for doing business in Africa. This is what he said, and some of my experiences of how it holds true: 1. Take market intelligence and customer understanding seriously: product-oriented companies won’t make […]
Nigeria: A fashionable high growth country
Nigeria is fashionable. It’s the “N” in the MINT countries – the next high-growth markets. As you may remember, earlier this year Nigeria was declared the largest African economy. It surpassed South Africa for the first time. A recent survey by KPMG on High Growth Markets Outlook reveals that Nigeria – along with Kenya – […]
Ebola and malaria: some facts
Many friends and colleagues have told me they’re relieved that I’m back from Africa. The Ebola outbreak kept them worried about me – even though I was in safe areas. While in Nigeria, my friends there were alarmed when one night I got several mosquito bites – even though I was taking malaria pills. I do […]
