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| photo courtesy of startupnation.com |
I am
concluding this series with this post. I trust that you will find an area of
opportunity exciting to tap in. All the best.
The
Green Revolution
Around the world,
the appetite for green and eco-friendly products and services is growing quite
rapidly. Due to the threats of climate change, any solution that preserves the
natural environment, reduces waste and pollution, and promotes reuse and
recycling have become huge business opportunities.
Several African
entrepreneurs and startups are already riding the wave of this opportunity and
are becoming hugely successful.
In Ethiopia,
Bethlehem Alemu’s Solerebels has become the world’s first truly eco-friendly
footwear brand. This hugely successful business makes footwear from recycled
waste material and sells its footwear products to customers in North America,
Europe and as far as Japan. Again, another multi-million dollar company was
born!
There’s also Thato
Kgatlhanye, founder of Repurpose Schoolbags which makes eco-friendly bags from
up-cycled plastic shopping bags. And there’s also Patrick Ngowi, the Tanzanian
entrepreneur who has built a multi-million dollar business from solar power.
Biogas production from organic waste is also another growing opportunity in
Africa.
Building
and Construction Supplies
Africa is going
through a construction boom, an opportunity that will certainly create a lot of
wealth for entrepreneurs on the continent.
It’s no surprise
that Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is heavily invested in the cement
business. Cement is one of the most important materials for building and
construction work – houses, buildings, roads, bridges etc. Africa used to spend
billions of dollars to import cement. But not anymore. Dangote and other cement
producers like Lafarge are spreading fast across the continent.
Cement is just one
example of several building and construction supplies that are growing in
demand across Africa. The demand for steel is another multi-billion dollar
business opportunity that’s probably bigger than cement. Timber (wood), roofing
materials, glass, paints, plumbing and electrical supplies are other products
that are enjoying a high demand due to the construction boom that’s happening across
the continent.
Financial
services
Like in other
developing regions of the world, the banking, payment systems and overall
financial services industry in Africa is one of the least developed in the
world.
More than 50 percent
of Africans still don’t have access to formal financial services and a huge
number of transactions are still done in cash.
Africa presents a
unique opportunity to make money in its financial services market.
Entrepreneurs who can provide simple, easy and convenient solutions will be
well rewarded.
One interesting start-up
to watch in this space in 2015 is Nigeria’s SimplePay. This platform, which
provides payment solutions to online merchants in Nigeria has already attracted
over $300,000 in investments and plans to raise up to $10 million this year. If
all goes well, SimplePay could become the PayPal of Nigeria, and could make its
young founder a millionaire!
Investment
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| photo courtesy of blogs.ft.com |
With slow economic
growth in North America and Europe, more investment is pouring into fast emerging
regions like Africa. In search for higher returns, more investors are now
looking to invest in Africa. Whether you plan to funnel funds into Africa’s
stock markets or invest directly in African start-ups, the potential for high
reward has never looked better.
Towards the end of
last year, a Nigerian billionaire investor, Tony Elumelu, committed to invest
$100 million in African startups and entrepreneurs over the next 10 years. This
is just one of several ambitious investment initiatives that will create
tremendous opportunities and wealth for entrepreneurs who can exploit them.
One interesting
trend I’ve noticed is the growing number of venture capital firms and start-up
funding platforms that are dedicated to the African investment market. More of
these platforms will open shop in 2015 and beyond. There’s never been a better
time to invest in Africa’s future!
Article by John-Paul
Iwuoha of smallstarter.com
I encourage you to
keep a date with us at The Next Level with Chukwuemeka
International Self-Discovery and Financial Empowerment Conference coming up on
18th and 19th November 2015 in Abuja. Come and learn the skills of
knowing opportunities and taking calculated risks.
Whether
you succeed or not, is really in your hands. Remember that when you set the
sails, God sends the wind.
In your success
journey, what insights have you acquired or tips you would like to share? I
would like to hear from you. Your feedback is valued.
 |
| chukwuemeka okereafor |
I am available to
creatively:
- anchor, facilitate or compere your corporate
events
- speak to and train your team
- produce content and visibility for you or
your organisation
- write your
speeches, citations, press releases, advertorials and advert copies
- provide mass media and public relations
consultancy
- produce radio and
TV jingles, documentaries and other media outputs
- create community engagement media for your
community outreach
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document your meetings, sessions, workshops, public outings and other important
events using photographic, audio and video equipment.
You can reach me
directly on +234 (0)805 334 0599. You may also write to P O Box 11758, Garki,
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Thank you for
allowing me into your world.
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