Think of Ivory Coast and what comes to mind? The war? The one that ended 4 years ago? I would hope that what comes to mind is what the Financial Times reported recently, that Ivory Coast has been transformed “from the worst performer in Africa in 2011 to one of its fastest-growing economies today.” What […]
The African Economic Community
A few weeks ago I had to travel to Switzerland. As I was preparing for the trip, I wondered whether I needed my passport or if my Spanish ID would suffice. Switzerland doesn’t belong to the European Union but I wasn’t sure about this type of administrative arrangement between it and the EU member countries. […]
Sub-Saharan Africa: A Road Map to Opportunity
This week I’m writing from Nairobi. It’s been a bit less than a year since I left, and I needed to get my “shot of Africa.” I arrived early on Sunday morning, and I could soon hear familiar song from a nearby church. Singing and dancing is an important part of African cultures (note the […]
Do’s and Don’ts of Internationalizing in Africa
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 […]
The Rich Poor Divide in sub-Saharan Africa
One thing that struck me in Nairobi was the income gap. Neither picture is truthful. The same misconception can come from looking at country-level economic statistics unwisely. “Consumer income is one of the most important economic factors creating distance between countries,” according to my colleague Ghemawat. Simple as this may seem, it gets complicated when […]
