KWAME

Every time I see announcements of foreign companies locating operations in the US, I dream about more African companies doing the same. Companies like United Bank for Africa have US operations, but I am talking about big announcements at the scale of Porsche’s $100 million investment in its North American headquarters near Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, Georgia.

Granted, there is a ton of expansion opportunity on the African continent. The Dangote Group seems to invest $1 billion in a new factory in a different African country every year. Yet, as African governments, companies, and people gain control over the continent’s story, there is something strategic about seeing an African management team shaking hands with the governor and mayor of an American state and city at the announcement of a major deal.

Back in 2010, BCG put together “The African Challengers: (https://www.bcg.com/documents/file44610.pdf), an assessment of African companies poised to make their mark on a global scale outside of the African continent. SABMiller and AngloAmerican, two companies listed in the report, have long been global players in the brewing and mining industries. Perhaps, we could see the likes of an Orascom Construction or MTN Group make moves in the US one day. I’ll keep dreaming.