Tapping into Francophone Africa
If businesses want to leverage the opportunities in French-speaking West and Central African countries, they need to immerse themselves in their cultures, said Paul Runge, managing partner at Africa Project Access.
Runge, speaking during a session of Breakbulk Africa Wednesday, explained that companies must realize that merely overcoming the language barrier in Francophone Africa will not necessary increase their bottom line. What is needed is a complete understanding of the traditions, cultures and the way business there.
Runge, considered an expert of the region, highlighted a host of opportunities that exist in Francophone Africa, all of which require the infrastructure and logistics to get off the ground:
- Development of the Mayumba Deepwater Port in Gabon.
- Renovation of the Kinshasa-to-Matadi Rail Line in DRC.
- Upgrading Felix Houphoë – Boigny Airport, Côte d’Ivoire.
- Establishing a new multi-facility bulk port in Bargny-Sendou, Senegal.
- Fuel import and gas export pipelines in Djibouti.
Apart from language barriers and cultural differences in business negotiations in Francophone Africa, there are also stringent custom control methods that differ throughout the region. The only commonality is the custom code. While these can be frustrating, there are solutions to overcome such challenges, said Hubert Tollin de Rivarol, an expert in export and collateral management in Africa for Bolloré Logistics Group, while moderating an earlier session.
He cautioned that there are stringent control methods and authorities impose harsh penalties if the letter of the law is not followed. Rivarol advised that companies need to conduct intensive research about custom controls in each country they wish to operate in. He further added that forging partnerships with local experts is pivotable to understanding and profiting from business there.
The potential of expanding into rapidly developing countries such as the DRC, Gabon and Senegal was also noted by Cedric Chauvet, commercial development manager, Europe for Africa Service at Intermarine.
“Widen your horizons and look further than English-speaking countries,” he said.
According to Runge, forming partnerships is the key to tapping into these lucrative projects. “In Africa, we hunt in packs. You will need to work closely with local partners as well as industry experts in order to secure your share of the market,” he said.
Photo: Paul Runge speaks on sidelines at Breakbulk Africa.
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