10 excellent reasons why a truly visionary CEO should NEVER even think of starting a Direct Sales Subsidiary in Africa

IF YOU TICK EVEN ONE BOX, YOU’RE JUST TOO CLEAR-SIGHTED—BETTER RUN FOR THE HILLS!

□ I don’t like Africa. Of course! Who needs a taste for adventure or discovery these days? Why bother about 1.2 billion people when you could just stick to your comfort zone? As Molière (probably) said, “Familiarity may breed content, but surprises only bring headaches.” Example: “Why choose Dakar when you can stay put in Düsseldorf?”

□ Africans don’t like us. Naturally, every single African wakes up thinking, “How can I avoid international opportunities today?” Why let curiosity or reality get in the way of a perfectly good prejudice? Example: The 300 million African WhatsApp users must be blissfully unaware that the app is not 100% local!

□ I don’t know anyone trustworthy on the ground. Clearly, talent disappears south of the Mediterranean. Why believe that successful entrepreneurs like Tony Elumelu, Ashish Thakkar, or Magatte Wade might actually exist? Why believe that your LinkedIn connections don’t include any (real) expert with (real) knowledge of Africa and direct sales ? Building networks is so 2020. Quotation: “It’s not contacts we lack, but the courage to meet them.” – Allegedly West African proverb.

□ Direct selling doesn’t work in Africa. No point in studying the market! Those tens of millions of informal traders selling goods daily in the markets of Lagos, Nairobi, or Abidjan can’t possibly count as direct sales. Companies like QNET or Oriflame must just be there for the weather. Example: According to the WFDSA, direct selling in Africa was worth over $1.5 billion in 2022—but who’s counting?

□ African culture is too different from ours. Right, that’s the true barrier! Inviting someone to share a product over tea in Bamako or a barbecue in Johannesburg is obviously nothing like a “warm” product demo in Paris. Example: “Greater differences, fewer opportunities,” right?

□ Africa has no potential. Two billion people by 2050, the world’s youngest population, double-digit growth rates in some markets… Nothing an innovative entrepreneur would ever care about! Quotation: “There’s no future on that continent.” – No one, ever, after 2010.

□ Too long. Too expensive. Too complicated. Too risky. Let the others do it. The likes of Danone, Orange, or Jumia must be in Africa just to spice up their strategy meetings, definitely not because they see emerging markets. Example: Investment in Côte d’Ivoire or Nigeria? Too risky. Patience is for amateurs.

□ I’ll do remote e-commerce. No need for a network. Let Amazon or Alibaba deal with local networks and logistics partners. Business should always be plug-and-play, right? Partnerships are so old school. Example: “Who needs local logistics operators who can negotiate border crossings, anyway?”

□ There are no success stories in direct sales in Africa. Exactly! Successes like Forever Living, Tupperware, Avon—even in North and East Africa—are probably just historical flukes, or perhaps mass hallucinations. Example: Oriflame doubled its member base in Africa in five years, but let’s keep that under wraps.

□ It would not add anything to my company’s prestige. Everyone knows that innovation, risk-taking, and expanding into ‘exotic’ markets are so passé. Elon Musk, Satya Nadella, and Akinwumi Adesina got their prestige by playing it safe—right? Quotation: “If you want to shine globally, stay invisible locally.”