The Business of Africa | Topic Tuesday | TedxEuston

If you’re serious about investment, it’s clear that the question is no longer whether you do business in Africa, rather how to start and what to consider.

As many of us are already aware, Africa presents an incredible opportunity if you are willing to invest in high-growth economies.  

There are some key facts which haven driven the economic growth of the Continent in the last few decades. Here are some:

• Over 1 billion people live in Africa. That is 15% of the world’s population.
• More than 60%, 700 billion people, have a mobile phone, and the entire continent is undergoing connectivity leapfrogging.
• Africa’s combined economy is over $2 trillion, with this forecast to more than double by 2025.
• Economic growth is 2% above the global average, and has been since 2000, currently standing at 6-7%.
• 60% of the population are younger than 30 years old, creating the world’s largest labour force by 2035.
• Nearly 50% of the population live in cities, with increasing amounts of urbanisation underway.

Over the years several African entrepreneurs and economists have given talks at TEDxEuston – providing salient advice and wise information about the continent’s business environment – food for thought for our TEDxEuston’ers who are considering returning, setting up anew, expanding their enterprises or bootstrapping their start-up for major growth, and even simply if you are looking at increasing your involvement by investment.

There are many ways to take advantage of the opportunities across the continent. Here are a few suggestions, of which certain themes emerge from our previous TEDxEuston speakers.

• The continent beats to its own rhythm, with a distinct culture and way of operating which differs from Western markets.  Appreciate and have a perspective, and respect the differences.   As our speaker Frances Mensah Williams discussed – allow everyone at home their own way of expression to you.

• Focus on local dynamics as reflected by our TEDxEuston speaker Kene Mkparu. There is no single Africa strategy.  Each market is unique – the continent comprises a rich tapestry of countries. Markets present opportunities in a different way, and business products and services should be offered according to these consumer requirements.

•  Commitment to long-term and to standards, as mentioned by Dolika Banda at our Facing Forward event in December.

• Planning – deciding your time period for growth, reviewing your sector, market and objectives for success, as well as planning our business activities, positioning, country launch selection, as well as creating a specific hub for business development.

• Perseverance – a critical characteristic for all business, and remarked by Jason Njoku, keep failing until you succeed, and understanding the reality of Africa may be, as stated by Ali A. Mufuruki, very different to the Africa Rising narrative.

• Relationships and Partnerships – working with local, experienced management and partners, including government, community organisations and other players in your field, will yield long-term gains.
• Local Talent and People – invest in your local team, and over the long-term, understand the role of training in broader society, mentioned in Tutu Agyare’s talk.  As the pace of commercial expansion will be significantly greater than the growth of formal education and training mechanisms.

While each country on the continent has its own set of laws, regulations, political system and cultures this ever-changing environment of systems and rules post the greatest challenge.   Each market should be considered and adapted to accordingly.  Africa’s complexity creates investment challenges and it is important to be adaptable and test traditional business models. 
The consumers within the Continent vary greatly from the new wealth, to rising middle class, and include the basic survivors, living on low or no income in urban slums or rural areas. Due to the connectivity explosion across the continent, this has enabled a range of other services to grow

The TEDxEuston team is committed to inspiring ideas about Africa and being a catalyst for our community and those wishing to engage with the Continent.    We’re actively seeking to connect members of our community to move forward. So please tweet us @tedxeuston, or me on @FeliciaTedx you want to stay in touch, or find out more.
F
elicia has been a key active organising team player for TedxEuston over the years. With a MBA from the esteemed London Business School, she holds a specialism in emerging markets. Currently a member of the foundation board, Felicia splits her time and career between Asia, Africa and UK.  

#ThrowbackThursday - Pascal Dozie

As we gear up for our Summer Salon, we take a look back at one of our oldest (read wisest) speakers to take the TedxEuston stage - Pascal Dozie. Prolific for being a consistent visionary, Dozie's run of achievements include being the founder of Diamond Bank, President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and Chairman of MTN Nigeria to name a few.
A experienced executive with a wealth of experience, find out 5 more facts about Pascal Dozie.

1. Dozie celebrated his 74th birthday, 7th day of the 7th month birthday on the day of his TedxEuston talk
2. He retired in 2005 from his chief executive position in Diamond Bank, which he founded nearly 15 years prior.
3. Dozie has 5 sons, one of which Uzoma Dozie recently took over the helm of Diamond Bank as MD and another, Chiekezi Dozie opted out of the banking world and pursued the creative route by setting up a photography agency. 
4. In 2013, Dozie received a Lifetime Achievement Award of the year at the All African Business Leaders Award in Nigeria.
5. He once said that when he set up Diamond Bank “The first customer was my wife”

A charmer, a seasoned business man, a family man and now a #ThrowbackThursday speaker - watch the talk below.

You said it! TEDXEuston! Wow...

The atmosphere was wonderful, a lot of positive and energetic people. The talks were thought-provoking and inspiring. There was a good mixture: hilarious performances and challenging speeches. The two MCs did a great job in introducing the speakers. The location was beautiful. I also liked the goodies in the bag. TEDXEuston!  Wow...

CHUDE JIDEONWO was articulate and inspiring. He told his story with so much conviction that you could picture yourself in his tale and journey. I was inspired by his story and vision for his country and Africa as a whole as well as his effort at engaging and empowering young people. I was really moved!!!

Dolika Banda: instilled in my mind the fact that you can lend a hand to someone, whoever it might be and that could make a whole lot of difference. Her story was one of nostalgia and serenity of the African continent amidst all the present chaos and uncertainty. 

 Ali Mufuruki challenged my impression of the "African rising" dialogue and motivated me to not settle for less.

Zain Asher introduced a philosophy of creating as an alternative to competing. Interesting…

Sunday Oliseh brought a simple, yet very different and inspiring perspective on life after sports 

Binyavanga Wainaina is the one who challenged my thinking the most. I realise it is okay not to agree on issues and to still work together.

Tutu Agyare referenced seminal authors I would want to read more about, inspired me to look into doing a PhD on the topic he raised

Chi-gurl proved that Africans are not too shabby at standup comedy. It was very refreshing to laugh at the tragicomic issues that directly concern my environment and heritage.

Kene Mkparu shared his journey with us. He took a risk, a leap of faith and followed his dreams. Times got hard, but he perservered. I was moved by his story and it gave me the motivation to push towards my dream

The great choice of truly inspirational speakers and the slick coordination throughout the day.

Occupying the office of the citizen | Chude Jideonwo | TEDxEuston

CHUDE JIDEONWO has a master’s degree in Media and Communication from the Pan-African University. He is a lawyer and an award winning journalist whose career is centred on using the media as an active tool to galvanise a generation of Africans to action. In 2010, he convened friends and colleagues to hold the historic EnoughisEnough protests and co-founded EnoughisEnough Nigeria, which has become the country’s foremost good governance group for young Nigerians. He is a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum and sits on the boards of the Oando Foundation and Microsoft 4Afrika. Jideonwo took the stage TEDxEuston 2014 stage with a clear message: “In a democracy, the most important office is not that of the government, but that of the citizens.” Listening to Chude, you cannot help to believe that his story is at its beginning.

Watch his talk HERE. Send it to every young African you know, it may be the best present that you have ever given. 

KENE MKPARU asks us to “Consider what you hold in your hands” at TEDxEuston 2014

KENE MKPARU is Group MD/CEO of FilmOne Distribution Limited and Filmhouse Cinemas Nigeria, a dynamic cinema company with a combined management team experience of over 100 years, and a strategic plan to roll-out 25 cinemas over 6 years from December 2012 – currently with nine cinemas in operation. Prior to this, Mkapru was MD, Genesis Deluxe Cinemas (2008-2010) and CEO, FilmAFRICA UK (2005-2009). Mkparu has also produced three films. He won the 2013 Creative Entrepreneur Award: film Industry Category, the 2007 Best Producer Award at the Africa Films Awards, UK for his film, “The Successor” and several Odeon Cinemas Company Marketing awards between 1992 and 2007. Mkparu owned the stage and energized the audience at TEDxEuston 2014. His trajectory and enthusiasm for business opportunities in Africa was palpable. His words: “Consider what you hold in your hands…Africa needs your talent.” sums up his belief in the future of African business ventures.

Watch is talk HERE and get ready to move on with that business plan.

Education made the difference: SUNDAY OLISEH at TEDxEuston 2014

SUNDAY OLISEH’s football career started in Lagos with Julius Berger FC. He then moved to Europe to start an incredible professional career in the 1990’s, playing for Ajax, Borusia Dortmund and Juventus FC. From 1994, he was also part of the team that was crowned African champions against Zambia. In 1996 Oliseh was a key member of the Nigerian team that won the Olympic gold medal for football. He went on to captain Nigeria for many years including during the 2002 African Cup of Nations. Today, he is one of the most respected voices on football and appears on several TV programmes around the world. Africa’s football hero par excellence brought to TedxEuston 2014 his inspiring story and love for football, and his belief in education. In his words: “Education made the difference in my life!” Does this surprise you?

Find out why in his own words. Send this to every one that knows someone who loves football- thats everyone you know! :)

Even if you don't like football, have never done sports - watch this talk HERE. Thank us later.

FRANCES MENSAH asks "Where is home" at TEDxEuston 2014.

FRANCES MENSAH WILLIAMS is the Chief Executive of Interims for Development Ltd., an award-winning UK-based Human Resources, Careers and Training consultancy for Africa, and the Publisher and Managing Editor of ReConnect Africa.com, a careers and business website and online publication for African professionals in the Diaspora. With over 20 years’ experience in Human Resources Management and business consultancy in both the UK and Africa, Williams has chaired policy development committees and forums, and has spoken and written widely on skills development in Africa and harnessing the talents of the African Diaspora. Her inspiring talk at TEDxEuston 2014 shed light on the question of 'moving home', particularly for those who have spent most of their lives outside of the continent. She encouraged the audience with her story encapsulated in this quote: “Home isn’t a place where you just show up. It is a place where you are invested in.”

Watch her heart-warming talk here.

Conversations with Baba: BINYAVANGA WAINAINA at TEDxEuston 2014

BINYAVANGA WAINAINA is a Kenyan author, publisher and cultural worker. For over eleven years Binyavanga has sought, worked with, published, mentored and promoted some of Africa’s most exciting new literary talent. He is the founding editor of one of Africa’s leading literary institutions Kwani. Wainana’s witty and satirical essay, “How to Write About Africa” continues to attract wide attention. His memoir, “One Day I Will Write About This Place” has been translated into several languages. In 2014, he came out publicly as gay. In the same year, he was named by Time magazine as one of 100 most influential people in the world.'' Binyavanga, storyteller extraordinaire, shared his personal journey and struggles at TEDxEuston 2014 with grace. His words resonated deeply with the audience and he got a standing ovation....watch his talk, and save it, and watch it again.

Trust your struggle: Zain Asher at TEDxEuston 2014

ZAIN ASHER was born and raised in London. She graduated from Oxford University where she studied French and Spanish. In 2006 she earned an MSc. from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, where she focused on business and financial news. She is currently a national business and personal finance correspondent for CNN. As the first speaker at TEDxEuston 2014, her talk “Trust your struggle” was a testament to her dedication and will to achieve her dreams. She reflected candidly on her journey to becoming a successful CNN Anchor. There are many lessons in this talk for us; and for Zain, you get the feeling that the best is yet to come....

Watch her talk here and remember where you first heard her speak! 

Beautiful Pictures of TEDxEuston 2014 - Enjoy and Share

We hope you you enjoyed TEDxEuston this past December and are looking forward to the next series of inspiring events from the TEDxEuston team. We will be tiding you over with video releases of our amazing speakers from 2014 but in the meantime you can relive the excitement by checking out the pictures from December 2014 on Facebook. Be sure to comment, like, and share with your friends. You can also find the pictures on Flickr. Fell free to share - but do give credit, and we look forward to hosting you again in 2015!

Pictures are all brought to you by the all-volunteer photography team of TEDxEuston....just for you! Enjoy!

Is Africa really "rising"? Ali Mufuruki's profound question at TEDxEuston 2014

ALI A. MUFURUKI is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tanzania Central Bank, Member of the Board Directors Technoserve, Inc. of Washington, DC and Board Member of Nation Media Group of Kenya. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board Wananchi Group Holdings Kenya, Chairman of The CEOs’ Roundtable of Tanzania and the Trustee–Mandela Institute of Development Studies (MINDS), South Africa, and Chairman of The Africa Leadership Initiative (ALI) East Africa.
As an African business leader, Ali Mufuruki implored the TEDxEuston audience to scrutinise the 'Africa rising' narrative. In the words of young political commentator, Inez Sarkodee-Adoo , he took to the stage, boldly questioning why 6-7% GDP growth was considered impressive for African economies while 8% growth is dubbed a recession for China.  He asked why “60 years later Africa is still negotiating on a global scale for aid”.

These are hard questions, but questions that have to be asked on the TEDxEuston stage. Ali builds his argument in a way that will make you pause to think...and watch it again.

Watch this talk HERE.

Start your year with CHI-GUL at TEDxEuston 2014! - “Don’t be a waste”

CHIOMA OMERUAH aka c-flow, aka chi-gul is a comedian, singer and actress. She was born in Lagos where she lived until she moved to the US in 1994. She remained in the US for the next 12 years. While in the US, Chi-gul taught drama to kids (at boys’ and girls’ clubs), as well as in the high school where she worked as a French teacher. Chi-gul speaks 5 languages and can imitate 12 different accents. She is also a voice-over artist.
Nigeria’s favourite ‘Igbotic girl’, Chi-gul shared her powerful and personal story in her talk “Don’t be a waste” at TEDxEuston 2014. The audience was treated to a roller coaster of laughter and thought provoking reflections on Africa Facing Forward. Not surprisingly her talk concluded with a standing ovation from the TEDxEuston audience. Chi-gul is certainly not a “waste.”

Chioma's talk is a great way to start the year - filled with joy and laughter as well as hope and aspiration. Watch her talk HERE ....and bring some joy to your friend's lives by sharing.

Thank you

On Saturday, we held the 6th edition of TEDxEuston, Facing Forward at the Mermaid Theatre in London. This year was particularly challenging for the team, with many of us, no longer based in London, and the increasing pressure of work and family demands.  To make matters worse, we had sponsorship challenges, tickets did not seem to be selling as quickly as in previous years, some friends and partners were not returning our calls, and there were many logistical challenges. As an all -volunteer team, all with busy day jobs, TEDxEuston has always been a labour of love, our contribution towards the creation of a new Africa, the Africa of our dreams, but this year that love was tested to its very limits.

And so it was with a sense of trepidation and wariness that we approached this year’s event.

But on the day, you picked us up and blew us completely away!

From our amazing volunteers, to our partners and sponsors, from our collaborators and our exhibitors to you our warm and welcoming audience- in the Mermaid and on Livestream; from our camera crew and our hosts at the Mermaid, to our amazing speakers you all reminded us why what we do is important, and by your words and actions made all the sacrifices of the previous year worth it.

Speaker after speaker made us laugh, made us think, taught us, inspired us, and made us pause as we reflected on our theme “Facing Forward”. 

And at the end, the standing ovation from you and your very clear indication that you valued what we do, was life-affirming.

We continue to receive messages of goodwill from across the world, and we do not know what the future holds, but with you, our community, working with us, we are again convinced that we all can work towards making the future of our beloved continent better than today

Please remember to make your TEDxEuston Pledge if you have not already done so- what are you going to do next year to make a better Africa?

Send them in to us at team@ tedxeuston and do send in any suggestions of support.

We will keep you posted as we recover and look to the future- this thing is bigger than us, it belongs to you, the community, and you must show us where you wish us to go.

For TEDxEuston to continue, it will not be because of what we have done, but because of what you will do. 

Thank you, and thank you and thank you, we are honoured and humbled by your belief in us.

We will send out a feedback form, please do make out a few minutes to complete it.

Behind the scenes at TEDxEuston

Watching TEDxEuston talks online is brilliant! It sure is....but there is so so much more to the event. Enjoy below some of the sights of TEDxEuston that make the event the full-body experience that it is. Its really not about just watching the talks - but immersing yourself in the event.

Grab one of the very last tickets here, and for students here.

Our youngest attendee! 

 Funmi Iyanda's smiles 

Reunions... 

Fashionistas

The merchandise

The Joy 

...and what it is all about!