Groningen, Netherlands

Entrepreneurship and Business Development in Africa

African economies have been growing in the last 10 years and several African economies were part of world’s five fastest growing economies. Today, Africa is seen as the next frontier for global trade and competition as theirs increasing interest from foreign companies to focus on Africa. The US Prosper Africa initiative providing businesses and investors with market insights, deal support, financing in Africa; the China Road and Belt Initiatives seeking for infrastructural investments in Africa and accessing Africa’s natural reserve; the recent EU Financing for Africa; the covid-19 pandemic and reconfigurations of global value chains to source and relocate manufacturing operations to Africa; the current Russia-Ukraine war and need to strengthen EU ties with Africa and the Africa’s natural resource reserve of alternative energy sources all point to the strategic importance of Africa in the future global value chain and investment destination.

Furthermore, companies are entering African markets not only for raw materials and natural resources, but to establish sales, manufacturing, and outsourcing. The liberalization of African markets has allowed local entrepreneurship to boom. We also see tremendous amount of Africa’s diaspora investments into Africa, social entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial ecosystems within and outside Africa driving investment initiatives, funding, and support for sustainable investments in Africa leveraging innovative and technological solutions to leapfrog the deficiencies in Africa’s infrastructure.

While the interest in investing in Africa is rising, the know-how of business on the continent is very limited. This summer school aims to equip students, expatriates, policy makers and entrepreneurs, knowledge of the diversity, economic development, and economic potential of selected African countries, and how to evaluate them in terms of their market potential, and how foreign firms, SME’s and social entrepreneurs enter these markets and develop innovative products and solutions and the critical role of understanding Africa business culture in the success of these ventures.

The course provides critical thinking & analytical skills, cross-cultural competence, cultural adaptability skills, strategies for doing business in Africa, opportunity sensing and identification in Africa and management skills in Africa context. The course looks beyond aid and negative perceptions of Africa and focus on facts and prospects when thinking about business in Africa.

Course leader

Dr. Nnamdi Oguji

Target group

This course is designed for people with interest in doing business in Africa. Emphasis on students, entrepreneurs, expatriates, and institutional stakeholders

It is expected that the participants have a sufficient command of the English language to actively participate in the discussions and to present their own work in English.

Course aim

After this course you will be able to acquire:

1. Critical thinking & analytical skills
2. Strategies for doing business in Africa
3. Cultural adaptability skills
4. Cross-cultural competence
5. Management in Africa
6. Opportunity sensing and identification in Africa

Fee info

EUR 350: Participant fees
EUR 300: UG and ENLIGHT universities