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 […]
Western Retailers Entering sub-Saharan African Markets
I love hanging around markets – although I try not to buy randomly: I always go with my shopping list. When you are in a new country, this is a great way to get a flavor for what life is like for local people. In Kenya, you get a variety of flavors from dusty farmers’ […]
Launching Consumer Brands in sub-Saharan Africa
“GDP is not the best way to determine whether or not to go into an African country“, the founder of a successful Nigerian company with operations across the continent told me. This wisdom also applies to launching a consumer brand in Africa. Nielsen’s recent report “Africa: How to navigate the retail distribution labyrinth” confirms this. […]
From Nigeria to Kenya
Last week I moved from Nigeria to Kenya, where I’m being hosted by Strathmore Business School (SBS), Strathmore University. Just as I got out of the plane, I could feel a difference: a nice freeze of fresh air, as opposed to the mass of humid, hot air that greeted me in Lagos. Weather played an important […]
Lagos street vendors
I have the opportunity to observe Lagos street vendors in action on my daily ride to school. At one round-about which is particularly jammed, dozens of them offer drivers all and any kind of products: ceiling brushes, soft drinks, clocks, CDs, flip-flops, chewing-gum, underwear, posters, soccer team flags (including that of Barça F.C.), magazines, windshield […]