While preparing a keynote speech on risk, debt, and credit ratings in Africa, the question arose: is it riskier to invest in Africa or send men and women to the Moon? The response was interesting and highlighted the complexities of risk perception on the continent.
Africa is widely recognized as the birthplace of humankind and the second-largest and second-most-populous continent. The continent holds a large proportion of the world’s natural resources, and historically, external forces have pursued access to Africa’s market and resources.
Map of Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting its diverse regions.
Understanding Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa, also known as Black Africa, is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the African countries and territories that are situated fully in that specified region, the term may also include polities that only have part of their territory located in that region, per the definition of the United Nations (UN). This is considered a non-standardised geographical region with the number of countries included varying from 46 to 48 depending on the organisation describing the region (e.g. UN, WHO, World Bank, etc.). The term serves as a grouping counterpart to North Africa, which is instead grouped with the definition of MENA (i.e. Middle East and North Africa) as it is part of the Arab world, and most North African states are likewise members of the Arab League.
Since around 3900 BCE, the Saharan and sub-Saharan regions of Africa have been separated by the extremely harsh climate of the sparsely populated Sahara, forming an effective barrier that is interrupted only by the Nile in Sudan, though navigation on the Nile was blocked by the Sudd and the river's cataracts. The Sahara pump theory explains how flora and fauna (including Homo sapiens) left Africa to penetrate Eurasia and beyond.
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The Kaba in Mande Culture
Historians who work in certain diaspora areas of the Mande people are frequently told by Mandekan speakers that their ancestors came from “Mande Kaba”. When reporting this, they usually then proceed to explain that Kaba is the Mande term for the French-named town of Kangaba, capital of the Mali empire. However, in my work on the precolonial state of Kong in northeastern Côte d'Ivoire, it became important to question exactly what this phrase means in the context of oral traditions and chronology.
The hypothesis equating Kaba, Kangaba, and the capital of the Mali empire dates back in print to the early French studies of ancient Mali, and particularly to Maurice Delafosse, that prolific writer on West African oral traditions, religion, and languages. In his 1912 magnum opus, Haut-Sénégal-Niger, Delafosse cited Kangaba, “sans doute” as the capital of the pre-Sunjata “royaume” of Mali. In his annotation of the French translation of the mid-seventeenth century compilation, Ta'rikh al-Fattash, Delafosse again presented this idea.
The Ta'rikh stated that “[t]he town which served previously as the capital of the emperor of Mali was named Diêriba [jāriba]; following, there was another named Niani [Yan.”In a note Delafosse explained that Diêriba “is also the name of the town called Kangaba on our [French] maps, which after having been the first capital of the manding empire, is still today the chief town of the province of Manding or Malli.” He was most likely relaying information from his interpretation of traditions as well as his own personal observations of early twentieth-century Kangaba. The Keita family, claiming descent from Sunjata Keita, the founder of the Mali empire, enjoyed political control of Kangaba, and were recognized as having held this position for some time.
Dieterlen's collection of Mande traditions in the 1950s names Kaba, in the mythical period of the foundation of the world, the site of the building of the second sanctuary, and the place where Faro descended from heaven.
It can be suggested that the role of Kaba in Dieterlen's presentation also represents the post-seventeenth-century central role that Kaba came to play for the Mande.
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“Mandekan” means “Mande language,” or the language spoken in the geographical/cultural region known as the “Mande.” The core Mande area is the region on the Mali-Guinea borders of the Upper Niger river valley.
Historical Context
There were a number of medieval empires of the southern Sahara and the Sahel, based on trans-Saharan trade, including the Ghana Empire and the Mali Empire, Songhai Empire, the Kanem Empire and the subsequent Bornu Empire. They built stone structures like in Tichit, but mainly constructed in adobe. In the forest zone, several states and empires such as Bono State, Akwamu and others emerged. The Ashanti Empire arose in the 18th century in modern-day Ghana. The Kingdom of Nri, was established by the Igbo in the 11th century. Nri was famous for having a priest-king who wielded no military power. Nri was a rare African state which was a haven for freed slaves and outcasts who sought refuge in their territory.
The Modern African Market
In the last decade we have witnessed an African Fashion revolution. Fashion weeks from Lagos, Accra, Durban, and Arusha provide a platform for designers to showcase their work. Unlike what happens at fashion weeks elsewhere the ones on the continent are rarely for designers to meet fashion buyers. Designers have to use a mix of traditional and tech driven strategies to get their designs into the market.
To successfully market a fashion brand in a local African market, several key strategies should be employed:
- Develop a Recognizable Brand: The brand is more than just a logo or name; it's how people differentiate you from competitors. A strong brand connects with a niche market of fans and customers.
- Enhance Customer Experience: What you charge for your garments is directly related to the customer experience you offer at your boutique. If you’re selling from home or in a dingy tailor shop, you wont be able to charge premium prices. Where you sell, how you treat your customers when they come is part of adding value to your brand. Your boutique should be uncluttered, it should showcase variety not volume, it must be well lit, it must be well ventilated, and it must have a clean private area for fittings.
- Strategic Social Media Marketing: Don’t just post your fashion brand’s photos on social media for people to see, post photos with selling as your intention. When you intend to sell you make sure to indicate how people can contact you if they want to purchase. Post your shop’s location, post your phone number, and let people know the best way to reach you. The posts you make will generate interest (sales leads) but that wont necessary close the sale. To close the sale you need to follow up with leads repeatedly. Find out their size, their taste in clothes, and show them more of your products. To actually close the sale you also you to make sure you offer multiple payment options. Offering services such as delivery, and mobile money will increase the likelihood of closing the sale.
- Diversify Product Offerings: In a competitive local market, maximize revenue streams by producing jewelry, purses, belts, hair ornaments, aprons, pillow-cases, laundry bags, shopping bags, and diversify their product offerings as much as possible. The local market is small so you have to be innovative about making money. The added value of accessories is that you don’t have to worry about sizes. Lastly you can outsource production of the accessory items to local craftsmen and artisans and all you have to do is brand them and put them in your shop.
- Local Sales Promotions: You cannot successfully market your fashion brand on a national level solely using online marketing. You have to go to places, events, and reach out to people with local sales promotions. Flyers are a good way to run sales promos. The flyer is not for you to showcase your designs rather to tell people about what you do. would be a great way to advertise specialized services such as group tailoring/ceremonial offers for weddings, an expedited 72 hour tailoring service if you have one, or whatever is special or unique about your brand. Do you sew the perfect kaba and slit, iro and bubba, cocktail dresses, work fashion, or is yours a modern fashion brand? Whatever it is that will resonate with the market is what you put on the flyer. directions to your shop, where they can find you on social media, and lastly one picture that best shows your design. You can give these flyers out at parties, weddings, to your customers, to just about anyone you meet so they know what you do and how to reach you.
Threads of Heritage: The Evolution of African Fashion
African Fashion
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Challenges and Opportunities
Several African finance ministers have highlighted the economic shocks and crises their countries face, including the Ebola epidemic, climate change, and fluctuations in commodity prices. These challenges necessitate prudent monetary and budgetary policies, diversification of economies, and regional integration.
The ministers also emphasized the importance of addressing issues such as fiscal sustainability, debt management, and expenditure efficiency. They stressed the need for a shift in the attitudes of civil servants to foster a more productive environment. Regional integration, infrastructure development, and collective action were also highlighted as key strategies for Africa's economic resilience and growth.
