Ted Audio Collective

Here's a question I'd like you to try to answer.

How many countries are there on the continent of Africa?

Do you know?

And if you don't, what's your guess?

Are you ready for the answer?

There are over 50 countries in Africa.

And the reason this is important to know is that all too often, the rest of the world

combines every African nation into a monolithic whole, despite their regional differences.

This can be seen in the clumsy and often offensive way, many international businesses attempt

to introduce their products to an African audience.

So what do people and companies need to know?

I'm Madu Bakinola, this is Ted Business.

Today's speaker, Namava Zanazo, is tired of companies not understanding her as a consumer.

She's an expert in emerging markets and a strategy consultant in BCG's Johannesburg

office.

In this talk, she identifies pitfalls that many international businesses fall into when

attempting to enter the African market.

And while Namava shares the do's and don'ts of doing business across the continent, I

wanted to highlight a company that's taking the time to get to know the needs and wants

of their customer base.

So after the talk, you'll hear me in a conversation with the co-founder of a Nigerian company that's

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