Business / International
Africa presents a future of opportunities: Investor Neal Gandhi
01 Dec 2011 at 15:15hrs | Views
CAPE TOWN - Africa is the next big thing. This is an apt view of serial entrepreneur and investor Neal Gandhi. Speaking to Entrepreneurship Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, the 43-year-old Gandhi said despite challenges of political instability and high bandwidth costs, Africa presents a future of opportunities.
"It's pretty clear right now that the current economic opportunity for the last years has been India and China but if you look beyond that and look at the next few years in Africa there is significant economic opportunity," Gandhi said.
Gandhi cites enormous opportunities that lie in countries such as Kenya's mobile technology, oil finds in Ghana and massive economic build up in Angola and Mozambique.
"You have to be within Africa to understand what the opportunity might be," remarked Gandi. "It goes beyond minerals oil and gas…its taking enlightened global entrepreneurs to see the vast opportunity."
Entrepreneurship is about risk taking and learning from mistakes. Gandhi knows this very well. After failing to sustain a company he co-founded at 21, he dusted off with lessons that would come handy in future.
The award wining entrepreneur is currently working on introducing two other brands in adjacent markets to Quickstart Global -a company that has grown to employ around 700 people located over 4 continents; the iPlex, a next generation business centre provider and Talent Anywhere, a global recruitment organisation.
Gandhi's book Born Global: Successful Global Expansion By Those Who've Done It, was published by Hot Hive books in 2009. The book is a pragmatic handbook for companies wishing to expand globally.
"It's pretty clear right now that the current economic opportunity for the last years has been India and China but if you look beyond that and look at the next few years in Africa there is significant economic opportunity," Gandhi said.
Gandhi cites enormous opportunities that lie in countries such as Kenya's mobile technology, oil finds in Ghana and massive economic build up in Angola and Mozambique.
"You have to be within Africa to understand what the opportunity might be," remarked Gandi. "It goes beyond minerals oil and gas…its taking enlightened global entrepreneurs to see the vast opportunity."
Entrepreneurship is about risk taking and learning from mistakes. Gandhi knows this very well. After failing to sustain a company he co-founded at 21, he dusted off with lessons that would come handy in future.
The award wining entrepreneur is currently working on introducing two other brands in adjacent markets to Quickstart Global -a company that has grown to employ around 700 people located over 4 continents; the iPlex, a next generation business centre provider and Talent Anywhere, a global recruitment organisation.
Gandhi's book Born Global: Successful Global Expansion By Those Who've Done It, was published by Hot Hive books in 2009. The book is a pragmatic handbook for companies wishing to expand globally.
Source - www.entrepreneurshipafrica.com
