These days I’m working on a new case for class teaching. It’s about an Indian start-up in the telecom service sector. It’s one of these “born-global” companies that expand to other countries early in their life. Created in 2010, this start-up operates in seven countries other than India. Out of the seven, five are sub-Saharan […]
Trash and Hope
You might wonder how trash and hope relate to each other. Last Saturday I watched the thriller “Trash: Thieves of Hope.” It was filmed in one of Rio’s favelas. It’s a harsh movie that confronts you with the reality of children who survive by picking up items with some residual value from humongous mounds of […]
Google Plans to Invest in Kenya
A piece of news I read in Wired grabbed my attention: Google plans to acquire Vestas’ 12.5% share in what will be Africa’s largest wind farm – Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP), in Kenya. Energy is a key input for Google’s business – they need to ensure reliable provision. This investment may be a sign […]
The Course of Connectivity
Anywhere and everywhere you look in Nigeria or Kenya, you will find people on their mobile phones and other gadgets. One of my colleagues sent me a presentation by Frost & Sullivan titled “Mega Trends in Africa: Macro-to-Micro Implications for Business, People, and Society.” It covers a wide range of issues: from the future of banking […]
Creating a Middle Class: The Role of Companies
A frequent comment in my interviews with executives from sub-Saharan African (SSA) companies has been, “What really drives this company is job creation… of course, we want to make money, and we do make money… but our real driver is to create employment.” I mentioned this in a previous post. But I want to bring […]
