8 Trustworthy Books on Doing Business in Africa

November 10, 2023 – Africa is rising. Africa is falling. Africa is _________.

There are so many narratives about the continent of Africa, it is hard to know which one(s) is or are true.

As life has taught most of us, the truth normally lies somewhere in the middle.

But how do we know – particularly in today’s age with social media and AI – where to find the truth about what is going on, on the ground, across the continent of Africa?

One thing I appreciated about the Business Council for Africa’s book awards (and yes, full disclosure, my book “Africa: Open for Business” won Best Africa Business Book 2023 award – smile), is their desire to celebrate the stories are changing the business landscape across the continent of Africa and the talented authors and publishers that are bringing these to light.

Below are the 8 books they shortlisted for 2023’s Best Africa Business Book competition. Each tell about a place, an industry, a phenomenon related to the continent from the author’s personal and on-the-ground perspective because “there are no better witnesses than your own eyes” (Amharic proverb).

Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede

When Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede and Herbert Wigwe bought Access Bank in 2002 it was one of the smallest and most crisis-prone banks in Nigeria. Their goal was to build it into one of the biggest and strongest banks in the country. And they did. This is their blueprint for how they did it.

Africa: Open for Business by Dr Deanne De Vries

Learn from my 30 years of doing business across the vast, vibrant and diverse continent of Africa and join myself and many others who are going beyond the imagery of the past to explore, embrace and invest in a twenty-first century continent.

Imported: Locking in Africa's Value(s) by Chuks Ibechukwu.

Chris sheds light on most people’s and organizations’ propensity to place less value and reliance on African solutions, products, services and even people. He goes on to explore ways to reorient foreign investment, overseas development assistance and Africa’s long-term sustainable development goals to lock in Africa’s wealth for the benefit of Africa first.

Blood and Diamonds: Germany's Imperial Ambitions in Africa by Steven Press

Most people are aware that diamonds have long been a bloody business, yet “turn the other cheek” when buying a diamond ring. This book not only tells the history of how the Germans decimated both the land and people of Namibia to mine diamonds and other gems, it also highlights how desire is created and who benefits.

The Time-Travelling Economist: Why Education, Electricity and Fertility Are Key to Escaping Poverty by Charlie Robertson

Everything you need to know to make decisions about Africa comes down to 3 data points: adult literacy, electricity for manufacturing, and the consequence of the relationship between fertility and savings.

Africa 2.0: Inside a Continent's Communications Revolution by Russell Southwood

Follow the history of how mobile and internet has impacted Sub-Saharan Africa across the past 35 years from political challenges of liberalization and privatization to the policies that need(ed) to be in place to expand these technologies.

Heineken in Africa: A Multinational Unleashed by Olivier van Beemen

A deep dive into how Heineken has become one of the most popular and widely available beers in Africa today. It makes you stop and question where the line is drawn, what constitutes dubious practices, how does one define ethical business.

Africa's Shadow Rise: China and the Mirage of African Economic Development (Politics and Development in Contemporary Africa) by Pádraig Carmody, Peter Kragelund and Ricardo Reboredo

Excellent insights following very rigorous academic research on how so many non-African countries continue to pick and choose how they'll interact with Africa for their own benefit, not Africa's. And I love the aptly named title: "Shadow Rise"

What are your favorite books about doing business in Africa?

Photo: Part of my Africa-related book collection