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 […]

THE RIGHT VISION: A FRAGMENTED WHOLE.

THE RIGHT VISION: A FRAGMENTED WHOLE.

Understanding the distinctions between the various regions of Africa is necessary to grasp what success means in this part of the world. Many business leaders aware of these distinctions integrate a comprehensive vision of Africa. This holds true for the most obvious reason: economies of scale. Tom Gibian discovered this in Asia before coming to […]

UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT AFRICAN REGIONS.

UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT AFRICAN REGIONS.

Africa is a continent of exceptional diversity. Much attention is paid to the difference between the governance systems of former French and British colonies, but this is just one layer of diversity. Among the 54 countries, Africa has six official languages inherited from its colonial past and Islamic migrations. In addition to these languages, there […]

THE AWAKENING OF A CONTINENT.

THE AWAKENING OF A CONTINENT.

In 2000, the editors of the magazine saw Africa as a continent trapped in a spiral of violence and despair. The editorial read, “Mozambique and Madagascar have been ravaged by floods, famine is resurfacing in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe has succumbed to government-backed violence, poverty and epidemics are rampant. And above all, war continues to rage across […]

THE GOVERNANCE REVOLUTION IN AFRICA.

THE GOVERNANCE REVOLUTION IN AFRICA.

The end of the Cold War has had a positive impact that is hardly noticeable from a Western capital. Cold War politics, much like oil or misdirected humanitarian aid, was an external force to which African governments could submit without benefiting their citizens in any way. This is the recollection of Sam Jonah, former CEO […]

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