22.06.2022

What’s next for the private sector in Africa?

Interview with Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI)

In a recent interview for Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), Professor Philipp von Carlowitz and Simon Züfle provided insights into the research project "Doing Business in Africa". The interview covered the research approach, the goals of the project and future steps. 

As part of the "Economic Cluster for Research on Africa", the project team works closely with the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) and is funded and supported by the German Bundestag and the Ministries of Finance, and for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.

A book publication together with experts from science and practice, as well as further publications are planned to point out business potentials for German companies in Africa, especially in the region of Sub-Saharan Africa. The analysis contains relevant success factors for market entry and processing, framework conditions and possible business models and is conducted through an applied research approach. The activities of other countries on the continent (e.g. China) and different forms of market entry are also being examined. At the moment, the DBA team is mainly concerned with distribution partnerships, which are the most common form of market entry in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, a German company works together with local distributors in the markets of Sub-Saharan Africa. The research looks at the success factors of such distribution partnerships between German companies and their local partners.

Although Professor von Carlowitz and his team are pursuing an open research approach, the analysis focuses particularly on companies from the manufacturing sector. In the future, the project team aims to establish the topic as a research focus at ESB Business School Reutlingen.

You can find the entire interview here!