A Good Governance For Your Business.

A Good Governance For Your Business.

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 […]

Collaboration Rather Than Reciprocity.

Collaboration Rather Than Reciprocity.

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 […]

TO BE TENACIOUS.

TO BE TENACIOUS.

No one succeeds in Africa by following a straight line. The field of frustrations is extensive, and I have hardly ever known anyone who succeeded in Africa without encountering endless obstacles. Mostly, these are the daily obstacles of life in a system that only halfway works. I spoke with a young Nigerian who was back […]

BUILDING WHAT WE NEED.

BUILDING WHAT WE NEED.

In the 1990s, Chrysler forged the concept of the “extended enterprise”: a company in which different management poles are interdependent, but with multiple and distinct structures. The interaction between an electricity supplier and a manufacturer would be a typical example of this kind of enterprise, at least in the United States or Europe. In Africa, […]

GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY

GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY

For businesspeople in developed markets, frontier markets are both exciting and daunting. That’s why American, European, Japanese, and even Korean companies tend to keep their distance. Their world and social life are often compartmentalized. It’s comfortable, but from a business perspective, adopting this behavior in Africa is a death sentence. You have to get your […]

AFRICA LACKS EVERYTHING. WHAT A CHANCE!

AFRICA LACKS EVERYTHING. WHAT A CHANCE!

To lack something doesn’t mean one cannot afford it. The consumer goods sector is growing rapidly in Africa. From 2000 to 2010, natural resources contributed to one-third of African growth. According to McKinsey & Company’s report, “The rise of the African consumer,” sectors operating at least partially in B2C represented 45% of this growth in […]

HOW TO BE BORN AGAIN?

HOW TO BE BORN AGAIN?

“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10 There must first be a belief in your heart that […]

YOU ARE AN AMBASSADOR.

YOU ARE AN AMBASSADOR.

So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us… 2 Corinthians 5:20 The new birth makes you an ambassador from heaven. As a representative of Christ, you are called to bear witness of Him on this earth. An ambassador is a mediator between two countries – his own country and the one […]

HEAVEN ON EARTH, YOUR INHERITANCE.

HEAVEN ON EARTH, YOUR INHERITANCE.

“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it […]

HONOR: an inheritance in Christ

HONOR: an inheritance in Christ

Honor is your inheritance in Christ. You have been called to honor, not to shame. The time for your honor has finally come. But what is the key to accessing it? Although it is yours through redemption, you cannot enjoy it without the proper key in your hands. You will only watch others benefit from […]

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