As every reader would know by now, I am an avid proponent on entrepreneurship on the continent as a way to promote long term development and solve the recurring high unemployment issues in African countries. I will, however, for a matter of impartiality, publish from time to time contrarian views that may not always go […more]
Looking for the best places to do business in Africa? You might start with this article on Nigerian website NigerianBulletin.com, about the top 7 business destinations in Africa. Selecting Lagos as #1 might seems biased, however as the largest city and commercial center of Africa’s No1 economy, this does not seem far stretched. Other cities […more]
Another article which title says it all. While the article is mostly about the South African startup scene, I believe it applies to startups and businesses across Africa. Basically the author is advocating South African entrepreneurs not to have the startup mentality, building a company to attract VC, get higher valuations and later exit, but […more]
This article on Disrupt Africa analyzes 5 leading African startups in the e-travel industry. E-travel is big business but relatively new in Africa. There is certainly a huge needs of e-travel startups to cater for the needs to locals in Africa, not just extensions of international companies offering African options to their mostly Western customer […more]
Another great article on how African startups need to focus on the basics (i.e. growing revenues and being profitable) rather than just following the trends from the Western worlds. Another good point is the significant lack of funding for real growth, as funds from competitions, hubs etc. are far to be enough to help scale-up […more]
Interesting article about a Ghanaian startup, Beam, which was previously involved in Bitcoin remittance, dropping the virtual currency altogether. Maybe a case of Africa not yet ready for some of the more advanced online technologies. The infrastructure (or, rather, the lack of infrastructure), the purchasing power, and the (still) low internet penetration or speed makes […more]
One would have thought that with time, it would get easier and less riskier to do business on the African continent. This article on a PWC survey on business risk in Africa says otherwise… It is a fact that the speed of improvement of the business environment in Africa is disheartening. The Politics are moving […more]
Based on this article on AllAfrica.com, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania will soon launch a campaign to promote the region as a single tourist destination. This makes sense. Instead of each country using its resources to promote itself, combining forces will mean a higher marketing budget and a stronger impact. Travel agencies can also come […more]
Great article at howwemadeitinafrica.com with eight tips from Ghanaian entrepreneur Bright Simons. Point 7, Don’t rely on venture capital, strikes a cord as it seems across the continent there is an emergence of new startups, especially in the ICT field, that seems to be built around the prospects of attracting venture capital, following the Silicon Valley […more]
Probably due the average purchasing power in most African countries, purchasing second hands goods is quite popular. One typical example is buying a car, in many African countries used cars make a large majority of all vehicles sold as many just cannot afford the new models. With the increasing internet penetration and the growing popularity of ecommerce, one […more]