Can You Use IT to Expand Your Business into Africa?

Being one of the largest and most diverse continents on the planet, Africa represents a tremendous array of resources and a massive market that’s a lucrative selling opportunity for any business. Whether you’re running a small one-man operation or a large multinational business, Africa has significant potential waiting to be tapped into. 

Moreover, Africa is home to a diverse range of consumers who have varied purchase requirements and consumer preferences like anywhere else. It’s a market that consumes products from all over the world thanks to its multicultural and multiethnic environment. The vast geographic and demographic variations in this region mean that someone, somewhere, in Africa will always need your products. 

Through developments in IT and internet accessibility, reaching Africa to help grow your business is easier and more efficient than ever before. 

Whether you’re an African business or working with African businesses, using a team like Mustard IT support can help you streamline the digital aspect of your business.

Let’s explore how 1) you can use technology to expand your business globally and 2) how Africa is a new market that can help your business achieve new heights of success. 

Africa for Resources

History stands testament to the fact that Africa has often been victim to its own resources, never being able to utilize them for its own good, and often losing them to external players who realized the value of these commodities. 

Today, Africa is still abundant with resources, but businesses are now using these assets efficiently for the betterment of physical and digital businesses based there. 

However, technology plays a key role in accessing these resources and making full use of them. For example, while you could physically visit Africa to find appropriate resources, digital systems offer a much quicker and more efficient way of doing this. 

While Africa is widely seen as a continent plagued by poverty, conditions are changing quickly. 

Due to recent government policies, an economic boom, and an overhaul of the entire continent’s infrastructure, hundreds of thousands of skilled workers overseas are returning home to continue their professional lives in their native countries. 

What Africa Can Provide?

For businesses, this is a fantastic opportunity to find highly skilled staff that can provide remote work from Africa. Regardless of what type of professional is required, you’re likely to find someone in Africa who can do the job in a very cost-effective manner. 

While these individuals lived in foreign countries their cost of living was much higher, making it inevitable for them to charge higher prices. However, as they move back to their home countries and charge less, they offer businesses a competitive edge when it comes to human resources. 

Africa as a Local Market 

Africa’s adoption of technology for trade is growing rapidly. This significantly impacts the amount of e-commerce that takes place in the region, as well as the digital visibility of businesses in Africa. 

Just a few years ago, due to poor infrastructure and a population that wasn’t accepting of technology, IT didn’t play a large role in business in Africa. However, as society changes and 1) technology becomes widely available and 2) consumers are leaning towards digital services, IT is playing a much bigger role in business than ever before. 

However, more than just as a digital market, the extent to which businesses are adopting technology to improve their performance is also increasing. Africa has always been a key player in the global economy, but thanks to the recent development of technology which has made international trade even easier, businesses in Africa are growing by leaps and bounds to participate in global trade. 

Just like businesses in other parts of the world, when businesses in Africa need to use digital mediums to communicate with local and international clientele, they also need the kind of infrastructure that can support business of this nature. 

IT Support for Business in Africa

Without a solid digital infrastructure, it’s close to impossible for any business – in any part of the world – to be profitable. 

The fact that technology is cheaper today than it’s ever been in history has made it easier for business to adopt digital trends. Conversely, at the same time, these advancements in digital technology also mean that maintaining a digital infrastructure is more complex than ever before. While most businesses can do things on their own, in terms of managing the digital infrastructure, but having a solid IT support team can drastically improve profitability. 

Rather than spending hours trying to analyze data on your own or spending too much money on hiring different experts to tackle each specific problem, it’s much more convenient and profitable to have one solution provider who can handle all your IT needs. 

Africa as an International Market

While China remains the manufacturing hub of the world, it can prove very profitable for businesses to sell in Africa. Not only is it in close physical proximity to China and the Middle East, but it’s home to a diverse range of consumers. The various natural elements in Africa, the geography, the climate, the different economies it’s home to, and the future potential of this region make it an exceptionally good market for businesses to consider entering soon. 

As Africa grows its appetite for international products, it’s a market of hundreds of millions of consumers that need good businesses that can cater to their demands. 

Reaching this massive audience has never been easier with the latest IT and internet services.

When you combine this with the fact that this is only the initial stage(s) of the market, the future looks extremely bright. It’s highly likely that businesses which can develop a strong foothold and gain a loyal customer base will continue to benefit from this asset in the future, while making it more difficult for entrants later down the line to make room for themselves.