How Do You Sell to and Grow in a Market That Can’t Afford Your Product?

If Horace Greeley were alive today he would no doubt be advising, “Go east, young man,” to Africa specifically, to anyone seeking advice on how to make their fortune.  I will add that, in my humble opinion, there is no better way to make one’s fortune than in an adventure. It’s the stuff of biographies and movies. Who wouldn’t want Martin Scorsese eventually doing a biopic of their life?

I have mentioned the billionaire founder of telecom Celtel, Dr. Mo Ibrahim, before with the intention of taking a closer look at his growth strategy in Africa. It’s a fascinating story about creative problem solving. Unfortunately a few projects got in the way and before I knew it a couple of years had passed. Now I return to him.

However, before we take a look at how he made Celtel so successful, I want to take a minute to explain how and why a West Coast kid became interested in Africa and what deterred me from doing business there.

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