South Africa-based DiscoverIkasi is an online destination marketing company that lists and showcases township businesses, and helps tourists and locals find accommodation and activities. Co-founder Ntsebenziswano November answers How we made it in Africa’s questions. 1. How did you finance your start-up? Our first step was setting up a Facebook page, and this…
Delivered by DHL With all the rags-to-riches stories about entrepreneurs starting blockbuster companies in their garages, entrepreneurship may seem more appealing than working for an enormous and established company. But many large organisations are bringing the innovation, energy and incubation of the start-up sector into the HQ by embracing intrapreneurship. When…
NJ Ayuk When, in November 2017, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, the Nigerian Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, stated, in an interview with the Financial Times that Nigeria was “really a gas nation with some findings of oil”, it might have sounded strange to those used to hearing of the country as…
Joshua Oigara, CEO and MD, KCB Group Justifiably, 2017 was a year that can be summarised in three words: uncertain, changing and challenging. Looking at the East African region in the last year, economic conditions deteriorated largely in Kenya and South Sudan, with the rest of the countries closing the…
Zainab Ashadu Zainab Ashadu is the creative force behind and founder of Zashadu, a Lagos-based luxury handbag maker. 1. Tell us about one of the toughest situations you’ve found yourself in as a business owner. In year four of Zashadu, we found ourselves in a position where if we didn’t…
Rural areas are arguably the most overlooked spaces in Africa. This is true both in terms of government services as well as corporate attention. Decision-makers have very little access to credible information about these remote rural spaces, and as a result, they can be tempted to act on misconceptions about…
Below is a trip note published by Old Mutual Investment Group after its Equities team visited Egypt. When I visit Egypt I come away questioning why I spend so much time researching and analysing companies in the many illiquid African stock exchanges, when Egypt seems to always offer such interesting investment opportunities…
Agriculture is taking centre stage in plans for the revival of Zimbabwe’s ailing economy under the new leadership of Emmerson Mnangagwa. Getting agriculture moving in Zimbabwe is a big task. The radical land reform of 2000 has left many outstanding challenges; not least the importance of compensating former farm owners.…
Bessie Duke-Odu Bessie Duke-Odu is the entrepreneur behind Flair Hair Academy, a Nigeria-based business established to tap into the lucrative hairpiece market. The academy specialises in teaching the craftsmanship required to produce hair pieces. Its curriculum includes wig posting, hackling, machine wefting and wig making. 1. Tell us about one…
Below is an extract from Monitor Deloitte’s Investment Opportunities in Mozambique: Manufacturing Edition report. The manufacturing sector in Mozambique is fairly incipient. It currently contributes about 9% to GDP and 0.8% to employment. It has shown stronger growth in the last few years: average growth rate of 5.1% between 2013 and 2015…