by Masingita Mazibuko D’banj, a hip hop artist hailing from Nigeria, is topping charts across the UK and US. The African Report highlights his many achievements including featuring megastar Kanye West in his music video. For D’banj, however, conquering his mother country is clearly his biggest achievement. He self-confidently states that Nigeria is where the money is coming from.
D’banj is not alone in his belief that Africa is on the verge of a renaissance. The continent is regarded by many as the next frontier for growth. As the second most populous continent with over 1,02-billion people and accounting for 15% of global population, it proffers a market that is expected to be worth $1-trillion by 20201.
But, tapping into this growth will not be without pain. Africa is diverse on many fronts, and with this comes challenges for brand owners and 
their marketing suppliers.
At the same time, there is a challenge facing Africa. It is time for Africa to not lie passively waiting for the world to descend upon it but rather take proactive steps ensure its distinct qualities are appreciated worldwide.
Given that May 25th has been dubbed Africa Day, it is worth highlighting some of the homegrown success stories as evidence of what can be achieved, stories that show that Africa can influence as well as embrace.
There is Taste of Ethiopia which produces and packages Ethiopian dishes and sells them in supermarkets in New York.
African fashion has evolved at a furious pace and is taking the world by storm. David Tlale has become a household name by fusing local and international influences to show that Africa deserves a place on the world’s runways.
More recently, Africa mobile has been touted as the leapfrog technology on the continent with analysts anticipating approximately one billion users in 20152. Success stories here include Safricom’s M-Pesa in Kenya, the social network and free mobile instant and messenger service Mxit in South Africa, and more recently Zimbile, a website enabling anyone to build a fast-loading mobile website.
Of course, there’s also that chicken brand unlike any other, Nandos, which is now available in 30 countries on five continents. It has fused multi-cultural Portuguese and Mozambican history to create a brand that captures the hearts and minds of many while continuing to enrich that which is local through its way of social commentary.
There many examples that could be mentioned, these are just a handful. The sentiment is to encourage inward reflection on the creative spirit both within and around us so that we can leap-frog and game-change, thus lifting our continent to new heights.
Don’t make this your agenda; just park the idea in the back of your mind. I’m hoping for a Coleman and Kaufman3 moment: “You’re out for a jog, completely relaxed, your mind a pleasant blank. Then all of a sudden the solution to a problem you’ve been mulling over for weeks pops into your head. You can’t help but wonder why you didn’t think of it before.
“It is in such moments that one makes contact with their creative spirit, that elusive muse of good—and sometimes great—ideas. When the creative spirit stirs, it animates a style of being: a lifetime filled with the desire to innovate, to explore new ways of doing things, to bring dreams of reality.”
As we head toward Africa month, I find myself reflecting on the often talked about Soul of Africa and hope that this spirit infuses you in May and the months to come.
Sources:
1. The Dynamic Africa Consumer Market Exploring growth in Sub-Saharan Africa – Accenture
2. Sunday Times
3. The Art of Creativity D. Coleman P. Kaufman , 1992
Masingita Mazibuko, marketing director at Unilever, contributes the monthly “Africa Style” column to MarkLives.com. The views expressed within this column are entirely her own.
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