But while the opportunities in Africa are endless, breaking into the African market is not quite so easy. And creating successful media campaigns are easier said than done.
Many foreign investors have learnt the hard way that regurgitating previous strategies are not viable when planning for Africa. If success is what you want, then your strategy for Africa needs to be uniquely African.
Here are some of the mistakes that companies make when investing in Africa:
The biggest change agent in Africa today is the emergence of a group of African professionals determined to solve Africa's problems with African solutions. These dynamic young entrepreneurs are aware of Africa's past mistakes and have an internal drive to change and be counted. They are rapidly emerging as the future leaders who are ushering in a new age for Africa.
With this in mind, Carat has, for example, observed and seized numerous opportunities by reaching out to entrepreneurs in Africa. The idea is to empower them by providing global learning support and resources, focussing on a crucial exchange of skills and knowledge. Ideas and learnings could be adapted and used to suit their current realities and practical needs as a complement to their existing understanding of local trends. Carat has enjoyed numerous successes throughout Africa which demonstrates the company's commitment to focus on training across the continent. Always taking into account the African perspective, Carat boasts a presence in 11 African countries and continues to expand its footprint and contribution to local economies.
Carat also actively encourages young and dynamic leadership with a strong focus on entrepreneurship and education as opposed to purely aid-focused initiatives It is through these equal partnerships that we are able to offer clients global standards of accountability and monitoring while still remaining completely relevant to consumers on the ground. The realisation is, of course, that Africans hold the solutions to African problems.
What better way to strengthen the continent than by utilising African-born solutions from African agents of change.