My last visit to Nairobi was right after Brexit. As everywhere else, this was a major topic of conversation. In a casual chat with a group of CEOs, we talked about the uncertainty that the British move has created, and we went on discussing other factors that create uncertainty. I ventured that African companies may […]
Manufacturing in Africa
Lagos is full of street vendors (see an earlier post about their frenzy activity!). It can get overwhelming! One of my Nigerian friends explained to me “Yeah! We’re traders! There’s hardly any manufacturing, and there are historical reasons for this: the Brits were interested in selling overseas what they manufactured at home…” This seems to […]
Rethinking Growth in Emerging Markets
Last week I had the opportunity to moderate a panel on “How companies need to rethink growth in emerging markets.” Panel members were stellar, all members of IESE’s International Advisory Board (IAB). While four of them work for and/or seat on Boards of Western companies, Ibukun Awosika is founder and CEO of a Nigerian company: The […]
Oil: Blessing or Curse?
A couple of years ago, Kenyans were very optimistic: they had found oil in the Northern part of the country! Last year, it looked like the country could become an exporter of oil. Right now, Kenya is benefiting from being a net energy importer. Is oil a blessing or a curse for a country’s economy? […]
Climate Change and Water Scarcity
I’ve been in Nigeria and Kenya during the rainy season and was surprised that it didn’t rain that much. “It’s not like it used to be – it’s not a rainy season any longer…” Transpose this comment onto your own country. Doesn’t it sound familiar? I think we all can feel that yes, the climate […]
