Nomava Zanazo: 4 myths and misunderstandings about doing business in Africa | TED

37,660 views ・ 2021-04-27

TED


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I've got to be honest,
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companies tend to underestimate me
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and I want to change that.
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I think that when companies talk about bringing their products and services
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to my European and Asian peers,
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they automatically consider things like, where those peers shop,
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what are the considerations before purchasing a product,
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are they brand-loyal and who are their influencers?
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That's great.
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It's smart business and good marketing.
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But I'm not sure that those same considerations
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are automatically being made
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when companies talk about bringing their products to me.
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In my job,
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I advise companies and individuals that are looking at investing in
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or expanding their African footprint.
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And the more conversations I've had,
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the more I realized
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that there are still so many companies, organizations and individuals
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that still completely misunderstand who I am,
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not only as an African consumer,
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but as a citizen of one of Africa's 55 countries.
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South Africa, in case you're wondering.
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That's a real shame,
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because these misconceptions will make it hard
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to win my share of wallet.
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And obviously it's not just my wallet on the line,
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but that of 1.3 billion potential customers.
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There's a lot of money to be made in Africa.
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And I think if you're a company
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and you don't figure out how to get into Africa now,
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in the right way,
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you might sadly miss the window.
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So let me help you by debunking some of these myths
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and misunderstandings around Africa and its citizens.
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The first myth:
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Africans are cheap.
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Maybe it's because of my continent's legacy of poverty and famine
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that makes people think that we just go for the cheapest product.
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There are still many companies that think
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they can just push their cheapest product lines into Africa.
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But that is a very dangerous assumption to make
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because we don't want to just buy anything that appears in our stores.
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But we are focused on buying things of good quality.
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In fact, according to research done at my company
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where we studied consumers that come from countries
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that make up at least 80 percent of the continent's GDP,
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we found that we actually make decisions of quality over price
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more so than most developing economies and rapidly developed markets.
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Price usually come second after durability,
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functionality and efficiency in non grocery items.
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And it comes second after taste and nutrition in grocery items.
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Even in the poorest of consumers
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who make up the largest socioeconomic group in many African nations,
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they are still willing to pay a premium for quality.
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On that note, let me tell you something else.
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New African customers like myself are connected to the rest of the world.
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Yes, we travel.
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Yes, we have the internet.
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So don't think that we don't notice the differences in the quality
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and the seasonality of the clothes you push to your South African stores
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versus the one that I can buy in your European branches.
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And by the way,
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don't think that my friends and I don't notice
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that we have to pay a premium when we shop in your local stores
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versus when we shop in your European stores.
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So this has to end.
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If you want to play in Africa,
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it's not about pushing your cheapest product lines into the continent.
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But it's about developing products specifically made for African consumers
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that fit our desire for quality and our diverse budgets.
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My second myth:
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Africans don't value brands.
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Just as you shouldn't push your cheapest product lines into the African market,
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don't think that your product will take off without any work.
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African consumers are highly brand-conscious
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and are loyal to brands that have been around the longest.
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Because -- I'm sure you know what I'm going to say next --
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those brands are associated with quality.
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But there's actually a little bit more nuance to our relationship with brands.
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Because you see, we inherit brand preferences from our family and friends.
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There was an interesting study done by one of my clients
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looking into the cosmetics industry in East Africa.
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The study found that when young girls enter high school,
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their mothers introduce them to a specific brand of body lotion.
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And even though those girls may change brands
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once they become older and financially independent,
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they too will give their daughters that same brand of body lotion
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when they reach high school.
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Brand-name recognition is huge.
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I was actually talking to one of my research colleagues the other day
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and we're actually laughing at how growing up in South Africa,
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Mdantsane, to be specific,
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when our parents had visitors,
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they would send us to the nearest bazaar shop to buy Coke.
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But before we leave, our parents would ask the visitor,
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“Which flavor Coke do you want?
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Do you want Fanta Orange?
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Do you want Stoney or do you want Lemon Twist?"
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And in fact, up to today, in many South African homes,
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soft drink is referred to as "Coke,"
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toothpaste is referred to as "Colgate,"
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margarine is referred to as "Rama," and the list is endless.
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So what does this mean?
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This means that if you want to try and enter African markets,
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you need to give African consumers a reason to believe
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that your brand is the best
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and your brand is of high quality.
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You also need to spend the money to ensure
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that your brand is present in all of the places that we Africans shop.
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I'm talking high-end malls,
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but I'm also talking about local open-air markets.
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Bringing me to my third myth.
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You see, there's still a misconception
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that emerging markets, like the African continent,
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and especially the African continent,
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are laggards when it comes to innovation
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or technological advancement.
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Africa's leapfrog story is at least 10 years old now.
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So why is this myth still around?
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I think it's because when the leapfrog story gets told,
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it stops at mobile,
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when in fact, our leapfrog story goes far beyond
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our massive mobile saturation.
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But before I tell you that,
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I think it's only fair that I give credit where credit is due.
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Africa's leapfrog story is amazing.
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I hope it blows your mind
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that at least 60 percent of GDP in Kenya and Tanzania
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goes through mobile money.
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Speaking of that,
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I spent a few months in the US a few years back.
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I found a great apartment and was ready to move in
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when my landlord asked me to cut him a check
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for the first month's rental and deposit.
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And I was like, "Sorry, what?"
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Because I honestly could not remember back then
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when was the last time someone back home asked me to cut them a check.
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But like I said, Africa's digital transformation is so much more exciting.
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We're seeing e-commerce fast taking off
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and the new Africa trade agreement
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will make it easier for cross-border transactions,
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which means African-made products bought by African consumers
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are crossing African borders easier and faster than before.
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So if your company or your brand is looking to get a piece of the action,
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now is probably the right time to come in.
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Now, my last myth,
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which really pains me to have to talk about in 2021:
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Africa is one country.
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I know that I've spoken in great length
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about some of the common consumption habits
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across the different African markets.
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But it's important to remember that Africa is not one country
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and African communities,
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even within individual countries, are not homogeneous.
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We speak over 2,100 languages.
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Therefore, the customer positioning and target segments for different products
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can vary substantially.
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And if you want to get into Africa,
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you need to get into the weeds.
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Take tea and coffee consumption habits, for example.
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Moroccans prefer to purchase their tea in traditional markets,
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Kenyans prefer to purchase their tea and coffee in supermarkets,
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while Ethiopians prefer to purchase their products in local kiosks.
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Local culture also has a big influence on what we buy and where we buy.
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Take me and my group of girlfriends, for example.
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When you look at this group of 10 girlfriends,
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on paper, we're the same.
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Young, Black, middle-class females,
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that grew up in one of South Africa's major townships,
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came to Johannesburg to pursue tertiary education and employment.
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Some segmentation studies refer to us as Black Diamonds,
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members of South Africa's fast-growing,
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affluent and influential Black community.
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But if you really do your homework,
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you will first appreciate that this group of 10 girlfriends
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is made up of five
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out of South Africa's 10 ethnic tribes.
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And even though our tastes are heavily entrenched
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into the urban culture of Johannesburg,
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our respective traditional culture still influences what we consume
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and how we consume it.
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And it's easy to see if you just open our respective pantries.
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So if you want your product to thrive in the diverse African markets,
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you need to do your homework.
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You need to take your traditional segmentation plans
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one or two levels deeper.
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Yes, it's more work,
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but my continent is worth it.
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I want to leave you with this.
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A share of my wallet is here for the taking.
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But not for long.
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African businesses are booming
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and trade across all 55 countries is getting easier and faster by the day.
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So it won't be long before non-African products are less desirable
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than the ones that we make here at home.
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So if you want in, great, come join us.
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But do it thoughtfully,
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do it intentionally,
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spend the money,
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and for goodness sake, don't underestimate us.
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Don't underestimate me.
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Thank you.
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