Local Venturing ~ Emerging Market Entrepreneurs

It's great to see two recent examples of African local development venturing, the targeting of in-country markets by organizations which either or otherwise would be primarily export-minded. First we have Blue Skies, written about by Will Ross, of the BBC in Ghana, in his article Ghana's juicy economic lesson...

"What do you do when your buyers in Europe start cutting their orders? Target the local market. That is the strategy being used by Blue Skies -- which exports pre-packed fruit salads and juices to Europe but has now realized their products can also tickle the taste buds of Ghana's more affluent customers."

And second we have Zambeef, written about by Ian Brimacombe of the BBC in Zambia, in his article Zambia's agri-business powerhouse...

"The company that runs this processing plant, Zambeef, began as a small butcher shop in the capital, Lusaka in 1991. Since then it has grown to become one of the biggest food production businesses in Africa. Place "Zam" in front of just about any food product, and there is a pretty good chance this company is producing it."

Especially worthwhile is BBC reporter Komla Dumor's video-interview of Francis Grogan, the managing director of Zambeef. Fantastically entrepreneurial efforts! These folks are transforming areas of Africa for the better through business. The BBC's on top of this entirely -- I'm impressed & delighted -- including their spotlight on Top tips from Africa's entrepreneurs featuring great advice from designers, brokers, restauranteurs, florists & more.