African Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century, Their Stories of Success (Excellent Publishing and Printing, Ghana, 2014, ISBN: 978-9988-0-7807-2) features over 575 enterprises from all 56 countries of Africa. It is a guide book to Africas successful entrepreneurs who are creating jobs and improving the quality of life within the five regions of Africa. The book is packed with accurate, practical, and honest advice, designed to give readers the information young entrepreneurs need to make the most of their enterprises. The book is envisioned as a source of networking for seasoned entrepreneurs and as a guide book for mentoring young and upcoming entrepreneurs. The distributer EPP Books Services will create an accompanying website for the book with a blog where African Entrepreneurs can share ideas and their experiences. It also will serve as a networking site for African entrepreneurs, academics, and African business people, plus visit facebook/david.fick.395. If you wish to pre-order or your favorite local book store wishes to pre-order or stock our book for their customers, please contact the distributer, Attn: Emma Prempeh Wurah, Marketing Manager, EPP Books Services, La Education Centre, P. O. Box TF 490, Trade Fair Centre, Accra, Ghana, Tel: +(233) 028-5051487 E-mail: emmaprempeh@yahoo , emmapwurah@eppbookservices , Website: eppbookservices , facebook/EppBooksServices Table of Contents and the Introduction are as follows: African Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century Their Stories of Success By David Fick, EPP Books, Ghana, 2014 Front Cover Artwork: “Solidarity” (Batik cloth) by Nuwa Nnyanzi, Uganda Contents Introduction PART I West Africa Chapter 1 Ghana, 8-57 Chapter 2 Nigeria, 58-95 Chapter 3 The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, 96-122 Chapter 4 Senegal, Guinea, Côte dIvoire, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, 123-161 PART II Southern Africa Chapter 5 Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, 164-197 Chapter 6 Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, 198-233 Chapter 7 South Africa: Agribusiness; Mining, Energy, and Environment; Construction & Housing; Transport, 234-276 Chapter 8 South Africa: Travel, Tourism, Recreation & Sports; African Arts & Crafts, and Fashion Design; Health & Wellness; Education, Training, and Consulting; Media & Entertainment, 277-307 Chapter 9 South Africa: Business and Service; Marketing, Trade, and E.Commerce; Information and Communication Technology; Manufacturing and Industry; Banking, Finance, and Investment, 308-344 PART III East Africa Chapter 10 Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Somaliland, 346-398 Chapter 11 Kenya, 399-464 Chapter 12 Tanzania, 465-496 Chapter 13 Uganda, 497-535 Chapter 14 Rwanda, Burundi, 536-567 PART IV Central Africa Chapter 15 Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, 570-606 Chapter 16 DR Congo, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé & Principé, 607-639 Chapter 17 Angola, Zambia, Malawi, 640-675 PART V North Africa Chapter 18 Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, 678-714 Chapter 19 Arab Maghreb Union: Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, 715-756 Index, 757-796 Introduction Successful and responsible entrepreneurs are men and women who are educated and motivated to provide a product or service that creates jobs and improves the quality of life in the local or world community that their enterprise does business. They effectively use their intellectual capital (critical thinking, analysis, and observational skills) in identifying opportunities, seizing them, and finding innovative ways of making these opportunities productive. They are proud of how they are making the world a better and greener place now and for future generations. They learn from other entrepreneurs past and present who have been successful in their field of endeavor. They are always looking for new opportunities to expand and improve their enterprise. They are aware of their costs of doing business and are always trying to make their products and services more competitive and with more benefits for their customers. They are aware of the risks they must take to succeed and they learn from their mistakes. They take their destiny into their own hands and create sustainable businesses, which are their contribution to society and posterity. My wife Debbie and I were guests of the people of Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia in 2000. We found ourselves impressed by the beauty of Africa and the hospitality of its people. Ethiopia in 2000 reminded me of South Korea as it was in 1962 and 1963, when I had the pleasure of serving in Korea with the United States Armys Transportation Corps. Our suppliers were from the private sector in South Korea, and it was the local Korean entrepreneurs, who became the engines of growth for the future development of the country. Having graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1961, having spent my business career in the United States, and having travelled to thirty-seven countries and six continents, I found myself becoming interested in the opportunities for entrepreneurs in Africa. Upon returning to the US, I began researching successful entrepreneurs in Africa. During my search, I became aware of the opportunities and roadblocks that the cultural, economic, social, political, and physical environments provide in Africa. This new-found awareness led me to also search for actual or proposed projects and policy changes that are, or could be, of great benefit for the people of Africa and the entrepreneurial environment. In March 2002, Quorum Books, an imprint of the Greenwood Publications Group, published my first book, Entrepreneurship in Africa: A Study of Successes. Its sequel, Africa: Continent of Economic Opportunity, featuring all new stories of success, was published in November 2006 by realafricanpublishers / STE Publishers of Johannesburg, South Africa. Both books featured success stories about different entrepreneurs creating jobs and improving the quality of life in their African communities. My third book, African Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century, Their Stories of Success (2014 - eppbookservices), is again a sequel presenting all new entrepreneurial stories. All three books are based on correspondence with people in Africa and around the world who are interested in the sustainable development of Africa. These correspondents include professors of economics interested in the future of Africa, entrepreneurs doing business in Africa, non-governmental agencies involved with the economic development of Africa, and journalists and people in general, who are interested in Africas development. There is a growing interest concerning the continent being developed to fulfil its immense potential. All three books show the business opportunities that can be found in Africa, and also the problems people encounter realising them. Most books deal with macroeconomics when actually it is the small and medium enterprises of the world that create the majority of new jobs. By presenting interesting case studies of individual small, medium, and large enterprises and community projects creating jobs in Africa, all three books are a guide to the way business should be conducted in Africa. All three books are meant to tell the story of people and their communities that are successful in developing Africa. They are meant to get across the idea that all ethnic groups (Native Africans, Europeans, Arabs, Asians, and Americans) can be successful in Africa, which can, like the Americas, welcome immigrants and prosper through their efforts. All citizens of Africa will benefit and all can become successful in Africa if they have the imagination, education, and persistence. All three books tell how these people give back to the communities that they live in. They advocate that African countries do more business with each other by means of regional groupings. All three books are meant to encourage a dialogue so that knowledge and ideas may be presented and exchanged with the goal of improving Africa and the world. They are meant to be a source of networking for entrepreneurs and a source or guide book for mentoring young and upcoming entrepreneurs. In all the cases and commentary presented in these studies, I have tried to retain the sense and substance of the information I have obtained. Whether from websites, press releases, books, newspapers, and periodicals, or from personal meetings, letters, e-mail correspondence, and phone calls with interested parties in Africa and around the world, I have tried not to colour someone elses inspirations, ideas, or plans with my views of how the world should be. Wherever possible, I have endeavoured to use the exact words of my sources in presenting or summarising their ideas. When I mention a source, it is their ideas and words that I present. I do not claim credit for their ideas, only the blame if I have not adequately presented them. Generally, I look for entrepreneurs who strive for excellence in order to be competitive in regional, national and international markets. Their enterprises are well-established, in good financial shape, and enjoy a reputation for quality, integrity and service. They act in a socially responsible way, support community development efforts, and create a work environment in which their employees can learn and grow. To be more precise, I try to tell about the following factors: (1) What the enterprise does: establishment, key dates, past, current and future projects; (2) Growth of the business, how it has grown: turnover, profits, the number of employees, or anything that illustrates that the enterprise has grown; (3) Marketing strategy: ways used to grow the business such as marketing and expansion strategies; (4) Hardships or difficulties that might have been experienced, and how they were overcome; (5) Team management structure of the business; (6) Quality certification and awards received; (7) Training done within the enterprise; and (8) Social involvement - how the enterprise contributes towards job creation and social upliftment. In order to keep the entrepreneurial stories interesting, I try not to be too factual, so I sometime skip over some of the factors I am considering. I also try to include the secrets of success from successful entrepreneurs that will motivate and help others to start new businesses. I look at best practices within Africa so that these success stories can be replicated in other parts of the continent. I am interested in what motivates these entrepreneurs to do what they do and in what advice they have for people who want to venture into the sphere of entrepreneurship, particularly the youth. For uniformity most stories are told in the third person. Success stories featured in African Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century are designed to be reader friendly and appear for each country by industry sector in the following order: (1) Agribusiness; (2) Mining, Energy, and Environment; (3) Construction & Housing; (4) Transport and Logistics; (5) Travel, Tourism, Recreation & Sports; (6) African Arts & Crafts, and Fashion Design; (7) Health & Wellness; (8) Education, Training, and Consulting; (9) Media & Entertainment; (10) Business and Service; (11) Marketing, Trade, and E.Commerce; (12) Information and Communication Technology; (13) Manufacturing and Industry; (14) Banking, Finance, and Investment. Each story is headed with the category of enterprise and the number of its industry: for example, Seafood Processor (1). After each story, reference sources are listed, and where ever possible the most recent date of any e-mail correspondence. Social and economic enterprises and/or entrepreneurs listed in the index are in bold letters when first mentioned within their text. African Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century includes commentary concerning how best to create economic environments and opportunities for skilled, innovative, and passionate entrepreneurs in Africa to successfully implement their ideas, achieve their dreams and bring benefits to their communities. African Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century features examples of African entrepreneurs that have demonstrated visionary and strategic entrepreneurial leadership across the continent. These individuals are an inspiration to others with their ability to spot market opportunities, and arrange resources to create viable businesses in spite of significant challenges. Through the entrepreneurs’ stories of success, readers of the book gain invaluable insights on how to recognize gaps in the marketplace and lead or partner with others to establish profitable ventures. African Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century recognizes the spirit of enterprise. It is a reflection of an entrepreneurs efforts, achievements and experience. It concerns successful entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses, and who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as financial performance, entrepreneurial spirit, strategic direction, national or global impact, innovation, and personal integrity and influence. It is about successful entrepreneurs creating jobs and improving the quality of life in their African communities. I should like to thank everyone who helped with editing their stories. Frequently, I learned about their entrepreneurial efforts to create jobs in Africa from news articles, magazine articles, press releases and websites. Through personal e-mail correspondence, everyone was very helpful in creating a book of interesting profiles of successful entrepreneurs in Africa. I should also like to thank the owners of websites, the authors of the articles, and the editors of the publications that I have cited as references in this book. I would especially like to thank all the entrepreneurs who so kindly gave permission for the reproduction of their stories. By sounding out African entrepreneurs about the visions they harbour of their continent, I have tried to present the successes and the philosophies of these entrepreneurs, and also the philosophies of the economists, educators, and political leaders who are interested in developing Africa to its full potential for the benefit of Africans and the world. The selection and editing of the views presented in this book naturally reflect my thinking and stance on the issues involved in developing a new Africa and making it a continent of opportunity. I believe that Africans need to think about and determine their own destiny, keeping in mind the welfare, happiness, rights and opportunities of all ethnic groups. ********************************************************** As with my first and second books, in recognition of everyones support authors royalties due to me from sales of this third book, African Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century also go to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) MSF to support their medical relief projects in Africa. *********************************************************** Please recommend all new entrepreneurial stories featuring all new successful economic and social entrepreneurs creating jobs and improving the quality of life in Africa to feature in an all new fourth book, Africa Entrepreneurs, Success Studies, 2011-2016. I would also welcome and appreciate your E-Mail critique of any of my three books, each of which featured all new entrepreneurs creating jobs in Africa. Finally, I would especially like to thank Professor George Ayittey for his always encouraging support and valuable critiques, and Professor Tom Lewin for helping me to appreciate Africa’s history while being his student. Best Regards, David Fick Overland Park, Kansas, USA, Author of four books (March 2002, November 2006, 2014, and July 2016) featuring all new success stories of African Entrepreneurs creating jobs and improving the quality of life in Africa. Author’s E-mail contact address is: AfricanEntrepreneurs@gmail The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is located twenty minutes by car from our home, and they are often referred to as the worlds largest foundation devoted to entrepreneurship. They are currently exploring the African entrepreneurial landscape to further understand the opportunities and challenges in fostering high growth entrepreneurship in developing countries. For further information on the Foundation, please visit kauffman.org. facebook/david.fick.395 linkedin/pub/david-fick/18/a2b/a46 Author: Entrepreneurship in Africa: A Study of Successes (March 2002) amazon/books/dp/1567205364 Africa: Continent of Economic Opportunity (November 2006) amazon/books/dp/1919855599 realafricanpublishers/most-popular/business/africa-continent-of-economic-opportunity-detail.html African Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century, Their Stories of Success (2014) eppbookservices Africa Entrepreneurs, Success Studies, 2011-2016 (proposed July 2016) eppbookservices
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 20:12:56 +0000
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