Last week was a high-energy one for me. A group of top-level executives from Kenya and Nigeria came to IESE. This week is part of their programs back at Strathmore Business School and Lagos Business School. I say the week was high-energy for me because I get re-energized whenever I am with Africans, as one […]
Terrorist Attacks – Some Facts
Last June, I went back to Strathmore Business School in Nairobi. Almost one year had passed since my last stay there. One colleague asked whether I had seen any changes. My answer didn’t surprise him: an obvious increase in security measures. The terrorist attack at Garissa University that killed close to 150 students, and the […]
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 […]
African Investment – Strategic Sectors
The CEO of an important financial institution in Kenya told me once, “If the head of the family isn’t well, then the whole family stops to look at this guy who isn’t well. Now if he isn’t well then the kids are not going to school, and if they aren’t going to school then their […]