photo credit: Shutterstock In Nigeria, they’re called ‘oyibo’. Although it’s a slang originally used to refer to white-skinned foreigners, it is now commonly used to describe fellow countrymen and women with light skin shades. In many parts of Africa, there’s a widely-held sub-conscious perception that light-skinned people, especially women, are more beautiful, desirable and enjoy high [...]
The clothing business is one of the most interesting and biggest emerging markets in Africa. With a population of over 1 billion people, and is expected to reach 2.2 billion by 2050, the growth of Africa's clothing and fashion industry will be a joy to watch over the coming years. Right now, a chunk of [...]
African shea butter is an incredibly amazing and versatile product. In Africa, shea butter is mainly used by women as a moisturizer for the skin, and is used in cooking too. It protects the skin against cold weather, UV-radiation, skin diseases and burns. In fact, a growing number of cosmetics companies in the USA and Europe now [...]
If I asked you to make a list of ten highly lucrative business opportunities in Africa, I’m sure human hair would never cross your mind. And that’s what makes this article quite revealing. According to estimates, Africa’s dry hair market — that is, the market for weaves, wigs and hair extensions — is currently worth [...]
Photo credit: Fine Art by artist Frank Morrison How much do you think African art is worth these days? Can you hazard a quick guess? I’ll give you some perspective. In November 2014, a collection of antique African art from Mali, Gabon, Congo and Liberia was sold in New York at Sotheby’s for a record-breaking price [...]
In 2005, David and Julia Matovi were living off just $2 a day, in Uganda. Today, their African bead jewelry business trains and employs over 300 local people and sells up to $400,000 worth of bead jewelry pieces to clients in the United States and Europe. Want to know how they pulled off this amazing [...]
Everybody needs shoes. We don’t just buy them to protect our feet; shoes are a popular way to express our style and fashion sense. With a population of over one billion people, footwear is one of the fast and emerging business opportunities in Africa. It’s not just the size of Africa’s market that’s attractive to [...]
How to start a successful soap business in Africa? You're about to find out everything you need to know. Can you imagine a day in your life without soap? You’re right, it’s unimaginable! Soap plays such basic roles that are hard to ignore in our everyday lives. Everybody uses soap; both rich and poor people. [...]
Want to know how to start a clothing business in Africa? You've found the right article. “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society” is one of my favourite Mark Twain quotes. It’s no surprise that ten out of ten people you know will choose to stay hungry rather than [...]
Did you know that cosmetics, beauty and personal care products in Africa are a multi-billion dollar business opportunity? If my guess is right, you very likely used soap in the shower this morning and applied some hair and body lotion afterwards? Maybe you didn’t stop there. You probably put some deodorant under your arms and [...]
