Yesterday I learned that our careers are about 2,000 weeks long. Are we excited about the way our careers are going? The impact we are making?

Or are we like 25% of the world who think their careers are meaningless?

Calling all businesses, educators, event planners and readers. Come find out just how, together, we can make the world a better and more curious place. 


Have you ever considered where African companies expand to? Not just across the continent of Africa, but globally? Read on and let’s find out.

Africa’s youthful population offers the world the largest pool of workers. To ensure young people are prepared to add value to the global workforce will require an education that is both locally rooted and globally competitive.

The African Union has declared 2024 the “Year of Education”. What is the quality of education and life skills countries across Africa are offering their youth to prepare them to be the innovators, the collaborators, the citizens and the leaders that not just Africa, but the world needs.

You grew up in one country, have parents from different countries and are now working in a fourth country. So, which culture are you?!

Which culture is your colleague that grew up in Nigeria but went to school in the UK. Or what about your CFO who grew up in Egypt and now works in the Middle East?

Growth is a continual goal of companies across the globe. Mergers and acquisitions are popular ways of growing, however research shows that 70% of them fail to meet the projected targets. Read on to find out the missing ingredient.

I spent most of November back “home” (as my brothers call it – smile); traversing the diverse , vibrant and wonderful continent of Africa. It once again solidified my firm belief that Africa is open for business.

The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, it is that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only narrative

- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

We could all benefit from spending time with 3 and 4 year olds to regain an appreciation for curiosity. The ease with which we access information these days has made us complacent and content to believe the first thing we read. It’s time to imitate little kids and start asking “why”.

In my work helping companies build thriving business across Africa and teaching masters and Exec Ed students about doing business in Africa, I’ve noticed that most of them have some very outdated images of Africa. About as outdated as my high school year book picture is of me!

We are taught that dictionaries are the best place to find the meaning of a word. But to what extent are dictionaries able to encompass the influence of culture, eras or values on a word? Read on to discover the unconventional sources where I love to find my definitions.

Every person’s life is composed of many overlapping stories. Yet too often we evaluate and jump to conclusions about people in a matter of seconds. How does this affect us and our companies? Where and with whom we choose do business? Or where we choose to invest?

When natural disasters, wars and other calamities strike, help is normally needed – and almost always given – from a variety of countries and organizations. However, it begs the question: what is effective help?

“They want us to stay dependent and helpless. We’ve been saying for twelve years we don’t want humanitarian handouts. We want development projects, we want early recovery projects, we want factories.” – Syrian doctor

Many companies are investing capital in the continent. Plenty of investors have spent a lot of money in Africa without much to show for it because capital is about more than just the money to run the business. Capital without the foresight of Appetite and Bandwidth is normally miscalculated and misallocated.

Doing business in Africa is as straightforward as ABC: Appetite, Bandwidth, Capital.

However, too many people I’ve worked with say “I have money and a product/service, I’m ready for Africa!” Well, I hate to break it to you, but you are not ready…except maybe ready to be disappointed.

Read on to discover the Bandwidth you need to be ready for Africa.

Many businesses in the West haven’t yet developed an appetite for Africa. To them, Africa is a vague place that might have huge opportunities for growth but also has too many unfamiliar rules, people, borders, infrastructure, and cultures.

The key to growing an appetite for doing business in Africa is to be honest about how much you like – or don’t like – brussels sprouts.

This award and my book, celebrates the stories that are changing the business landscape across the continent of Africa and the talented authors and publishers that are bringing these to light.

In a forthcoming chapter of mine in an anthology on resilience, I highlight two simple things most companies forget or unaware of when they expand into new markets: culture and context.

Making the time and effort to understand local culture and context is the difference between companies that succeed or fail when entering new markets because it is this awareness that makes companies truly resilient.