Africa is a land of opportunities, but many Africans have not seized the various opportunities that are available daily to improve their lives because of their constant excuses. Life is like a flowing stream, and the first to arrive is served. “Life is first come, first served.” May you never be late to your destiny. […]
Some people are spiritually lazy, particularly when it comes to prayer. Laziness in the area of prayer can destroy your destiny. You cannot live a standard life when you are lazy in spiritual matters. When they should pray, they play; so if you do not pray, you are playing. When they should study the Word […]
One of the most dangerous giants and killer spirits wreaking havoc across the African continent is “Sabotage.” Sabotage is a system of “divide and rule” that dismantles Africa. The root and sustainability of sabotage are caused by grandiosity (pretentiousness), self-love, ego, greed, covetousness, malice, and pride. Those under the influence of this spirit go as […]
Biblical text: “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Ezekiel 36:26 Note: Every people have their own mentality, but not every mentality fosters the development of a nation. May the grace […]
In Africa as in other frontier markets, it’s not very useful to prepare for (or react to) corruption in isolation. Corruption typically coincides with other governance issues, such as overwhelming bureaucracy, a shortage of labor or skills, or even both. In this regard, businesses can learn from sociology. It’s better to think about how a […]
I’m much more of an expert in the business field, and when it comes to commerce, I can say that the Chinese are winning because they deserve it. The Chinese are winning in Africa because they handle uncertainty well, get their hands dirty, demonstrate remarkable tenacity, and adapt their economic model locally. These are common […]
A successful relationship with a government goes beyond tit-for-tat. This reciprocity is not collaboration and quickly devolves into a mere balancing of accounts. A productive relationship with frontier market governments is built by pursuing common goals, holding each other accountable. Jeff Immelt of General Electric discovered that this collaborative approach addressed many of the drawbacks […]
The politics of governments in Africa is a landscape undergoing significant changes. Its actors are changing, of course, but so are its direction and dominant vision. This landscape is traversed by a path of good governance, commitment, and competence, which is expanding. As I have mentioned before, expectations play a significant role in the quality […]
African governments have the same need as others to respond to short-term political deadlines. What distinguishes governments in frontier markets is that they place much more value on long-term commitment from companies. A non-African example can help better understand this point. One of my friends worked in the early 1990s at one of the world’s […]
“I’ve seen it so often,” says Neville Isdell of Coca-Cola: a company identifies an opportunity in Africa, sends all its expatriates, recreating what they have at home, and manages everything from its European headquarters. It’s expensive, because of salaries, travel, etc. But most of all, it’s expensive because it doesn’t work.” Neville knows what works. […]
