📅 Sunday Edition | 🌍 How to Trade With Africa – Weekly Newsletter (Edition #36)
Introduction
Hello Business Builders, Trade Champions, and Africa Enthusiasts 👋🏾,
Welcome to the 36th edition of How To Trade With Africa. If you’ve been with us for a while, thank you for staying curious and committed to the continent. If you’re new here, Welcome!
This month, we’re diving into a core truth that too many global business leaders overlook:
In Africa, business is not just transactional – it’s relational.
Success on the continent doesn’t come from price wars, cold calls, or click-through rates alone. It comes from – deep, consistent, human connection. And that’s where culture, trust, and trade intersect.
Today, I want to take you on a journey across boardrooms and markets, WhatsApp groups and village squares, to show you how business really works in Africa. Ready?
Let’s go.
Part 1: Understanding the “Why” Behind the African Way
Let’s start with a story.
The Story of Kofi and the German Machinery Company
Kofi runs a small cashew processing facility in Ghana. He’s ambitious, professional, and deeply connected to his community. When a German supplier contacted him about buying processing equipment, the pitch was slick: high-quality machines, fast shipping, good price.
But here’s the thing: Kofi didn’t buy.
Why?
Because the rep never asked Kofi about his context. His power supply. His staff. His financing challenges. His growth goals.
Instead, they sold a product, not a solution. They sent spec sheets, not stories. They wanted to close a sale, not build a relationship.
Now contrast that with another company from India. They came in, spent a week with Kofi’s team, drank tea, toured the village, asked questions, listened.
The result? A deal was signed – not just for machines, but for a five-year partnership.
That’s the African way. And it’s not soft. It’s strategic.
Part 2: Culture is Not a Side Note – It’s the Operating System
Let’s be blunt. Many international business models are built on efficiency, automation, and scale.
But in Africa, the algorithm that matters most is culture.
And culture isn’t a buzzword. It’s a business asset.
In much of the continent:
- Meetings start with greetings, before agendas.
- Trust is built over time, not once off over social media alone.
- Business favors people, not just pitches.
- Family and community ties are often part of the business equation.
If you think that slows things down, think again.
What may seem like delays or “red tape” are often layers of trust-building. In a context where legal systems may be slow and infrastructure uneven, relationships become the infrastructure.
In fact, in many African markets, your reputation is your credit score.
Part 3: Trust is the Currency of Trade
One of the greatest myths about Africa is that it’s “high risk.”
But here’s a truth that most seasoned African businesspeople will tell you:
Once you earn trust here, it runs deep and it runs long.
Yes, due diligence is essential. Yes, there are real risks. But here’s what Western and Eastern investors sometimes miss:
- Risk is reduced when you understand how decisions are made.
- Trust is amplified when you show up with consistency, not just capital.
- Opportunity grows when you stop trying to “scale” and start trying to serve.
The most successful businesses on the continent are those who understand the long game.
In Africa, relationships are multi-layered. A handshake may be a contract. A wedding or funeral may be your next boardroom. A cousin may be your translator, deal-closer, and partner-in-chief.
Part 4: Trade as a Relationship, Not Just a Transaction
So, how do you actually do business the African way – whether you’re exporting, importing, investing, or collaborating?
Here are some principles I’ve seen work time and time again:
1. Lead With Listening
Don’t assume. Ask. Spend time understanding how decisions are made, how products are sourced, what local pain points are, and what dreams are driving your potential partners.
2. Show Up Before You Scale Up
Whether it’s on-the-ground visits, local reps, or WhatsApp check-ins, presence matters. Emails are easy to ignore. A warm message checking in on someone’s mother? That gets remembered.
3. Embrace Informality – It’s Where Real Business Happens
Some of the best deals are discussed over chisanyama, kapana, nyama choma, jollof rice, or mint tea. Don’t dismiss informal settings – they’re often the true boardrooms.
4. Invest in Trust – Not Just Tech
Partnerships in Africa grow over shared meals, small wins, and consistent follow-through. If you promise a call back, make it. If you say you’ll visit, go. Trust, once lost, is hard to win back.
5. Hire Local Wisdom
You may bring the tech or the capital, but local insight is your greatest strategic advantage. Work with local consultants, interpreters, cultural guides, and community liaisons. They’ll see risks and opportunities you can’t.
Part 5: Trade Wins When We Center People
Let’s zoom out.
Africa is 1.4 billion people. That’s not just a “market.” It’s a mosaic of cultures, languages, belief systems, and business traditions.
To trade with Africa successfully, you don’t need to “crack the code.”
You need to respect the context.
You need to move from “market entry” to relationship entry.
You need to stop asking, “How can I scale fast?” and start asking, “Whose trust have I earned today?”
Final Thoughts: The African Way is the Sustainable Way
Let me leave you with this:
If you want fast returns, chase algorithms. If you want a lasting impact, build trust.
Because while markets rise and fall, while governments change, and platforms shift – the thing that stays is human connection.
The African way of business may take longer. It may require more patience. More curiosity. More humility.
But it will reward you with something no balance sheet can fully capture: real partnerships that endure.
And that, my friends, is the future of trade.
💡 What’s Your Take?
- Have you had a moment where a cultural connection made all the difference in a business deal?
- Share with us your experience and lessons you’ve learned from doing business in Africa?
Hit reply. Let’s hear from you.
Or better yet – share this edition on LinkedIn and tag someone who needs to read this today.