Realizing "Africa to the World" Through Brand: Outro
Bringing it all together, and sharing a bit about what I'm on
There has been no better time for “Africa to the World” to become a sustained movement that the Continent can actually benefit from alongside the rest of the world. Cultural exports (music, art, fashion, media, etc.) are starting to make greater waves, the consciousness of the role the Continent + Diaspora have played (and continue to play) in global value creation is rising, and the awareness of the exploitation that has typically followed that value creation (along with the desire to avoid it) continues to grow. Not to mention, technological shifts continue to make it easier and easier to build connections and attain ownership in ways that were completely foreign to us mere years ago (especially in cultural and creative spaces).
Because of all of this - honestly, the time is now. At the beginning of this series, I made the point that true realization of “Africa to the World” must be inclusive of product and enterprise, and I argued that it’s through these mediums that the economic benefit to those on ground can actually happen. In Part 1, I shared a set of principles and a framework for action based on entrepreneurship development research and the opportunities that still exist to center and empower businesses, brands, and the value creators behind them. To recap, in order to realize Africa to the World through product + enterprise in the form of brand, I believe that it’s key to:
Operate in harmony as an intentional ecosystem, with the entrepreneurs, the value creators, at the center
Create the space and provide what’s needed for entrepreneurs to build and pull in what they need for the enterprise to thrive
Focus on sustainable, inclusive growth trajectories that center longevity
In Part 2, I shared my own research on brand entrepreneurs based in Nigeria grounded in these principles - uncovering the desires, motivations, habits and emotions of this group and building a foundation for solutions that enable their growth and scale using a design-driven approach.
As this series comes to a close, my hope now is to inspire action, collaboration, or at the very lease more intentional conversation around seeing more enterprises and brands from Africa thrive. Especially those at the intersection of commerce and culture, where I feel like the potential to positively shift things through economics and image is highest (and I’d argue both are needed, and are deeply connected). This hope is pretty much the motivation behind translating my thesis to this format, and in starting Blueprints & The Culture Shift Theory in the first place - I want to continue to learn in real time, share in real time, build in real time, connect with others all for the purpose of making this more real.
With that all said, happy to connect on Twitter with people who share this interest of realizing ‘Africa to the World’ through product and enterprise (especially at the intersection of commerce and culture) - especially those who are currently operating in the space (entrepreneurs, operators, investors, educators, government reps, etc.)
Introducing AZEKI ROAD
Speaking of building in real time and taking action, since starting this work and coming out of my research with brand entrepreneurs based in Nigeria, my focus has shifted to exploring how to apply these principles and enable emerging consumer brands and businesses based in Africa more broadly. While working on my thesis, I connected with entrepreneurs and brands operating across the Continent (including Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Africa, in addition to Nigeria), and to little surprise - the general themes and insights were constant:
First, they too desire to grow their business to international scale sustainably, shifting perceptions of what can come from Africa, bringing value back to the Continent, in spite of challenges in financing, genuine demand generation, infrastructure, and talent. And second:
They desire to express and convey their brand value through their own means, in spite of needing to be creative to overcome obstacles and extremely resourceful in their execution (given the structural challenges mentioned in Parts 1 & 2)
Because of this, in comes AZEKI ROAD.
AZEKI ROAD is a brand studio/lab that’s ultimately in service to the value creators and enables growth and scale. The intent is to serve as the ideal operating partner, and create the path for brands to be truly global through strategy, experience design, and additional services. AZEKI ROAD aims to enhance brand operations, with an initial focus on sustained demand generation.
The initial focus on demand generation (and market orientation) comes from both the key characteristics of high impact enterprises mentioned in Part 1, and the belief that sustained, genuine demand (which not only involves bringing customers in, but also maintaining their energy over time) will unlock the other things needed to achieve scale: improving access to financing by demonstrating value, creating an easier path to expanding distribution, etc. To make that sustained demand generation possible, the goal is to deeply partner with brands and enable them to attract, captivate, and resonate with (global) audiences over time.
With that said, if you’re a brand owner, brand investor, enabling brands based in Africa in any way, or just curious to learn more, also would love to connect on this too. Feel free to reach out at info@azekiroad.com or follow @azekiroad on socials.