Very interesting article Oo. The struggle is real. Most, if not all, of the “challenges” described regarding a pan-Africa business outlook are ultimately caused by a large number of people in African countries (particularly public sector and civil society) not serving the purpose they are meant to every single day. That’s what leads to all the challenges startups face when expanding. I’m not sure these challenges will subside anytime soon, because it’s very hard to get people to change in large numbers.

With that in mind, frankly, my view is that startups in Nigeria should build for the markets and customers they can reach first and foremost, and then those that are most likely going to value their products/services (i.e. they want them right now and will pay the most for them). Right now, the average Nigerian hardware or tangible goods business can only reach Nigerians in terms of supply chain, payments, etc. While the most profitable customers are not in Nigeria. So I’d encourage folks to figure out how to think like exporters and build export-friendly (outside of Africa) businesses. They’ll eventually benefit the local markets too.

The luxury of conquering Africa shall come one day, perhaps as the companies in Africa who are able to, go global; as foreign companies come in and build here for the global market; as employment increases and wages rise, etc. And perhaps lastly, as African begins to realize we are undervaluing our own talent. I think we’re just at the foot of the mountain in this regard…

Thanks for the Andela mention. One of our core beliefs is in diversity as a driver of increased performance. This is not meant to be self-promoting, so no need to elaborate.