You Can’t Help But Want to Participate in Humanitarian Efforts If You Are Doing Business in Africa

I have to admit when I think of Africa, the first thing that comes to my mind are celebrities and church groups that visit the poorest of Africa and help with humanitarian efforts. However, I know that if I wanted to expand business into Africa, I would have to conduct a lot of research because a “one size fits all” culture definitely does not exist for Africa. As Moran, et al., (2014) states, “We must always be cautious about cultural generalizations, and in Africa there is no one culture” (p. 511). However, there are some common denominators across regions. The first is building trust. “In Africa, interpersonal relationships are based on sincerity. … People generally assume that everyone is a friend until proven otherwise” (p. 512). It is very important to build “friendship before business” (Moran, et al., 2014, p. 512) otherwise the African may not want to conduct business with you. It is also important to note that in African society, elders are held in high respect (Moran, et al., 2014, p. 514).

However, there are differences. If I were to conduct business in Africa, it would be important for me to know the differences in culture between regions so I would be able to respect their customs. For instance, Northern Africa is predominantly of Muslim religion while Southern Africa is predominantly Christian. North Africa has been influenced by the Middle East and “Arabic is the unifying common cultural influence” (Moran, et al., 2014, p. 515). There are “extended families with arranged marriages are traditional” in Northern Africa. (Moran, et al., 2014, p. 515).

In South Africa, there seems to be good intentions of schooling for children, a growing middle class for the black community and a lifestyle that includes sports and a business environment that is improving; although healthcare is declining (Moran, et al., 2014, p. 525).

There seems to be a lot of opportunity for a business to expand into Africa. If I had the opportunity to expand business into Africa, I would combine it with humanitarian efforts and invest in the community. This could be through opportunities at my company, through volunteer work, fostering children and/or efforts to assist in improving the healthcare situation.  I don’t know if I would ever get the opportunity to work in Africa, but it is good to know that, “All of Africa beneftis from the exceptional service of international humanitarian organziations…” (Moran, et al., 2014, p. 510).

 

References:

Moran, R., Abramson, N.R., Moran, S.V. (2014). Managing cultural differences. New York, NY: Routledge.