Across 38 000 kilometers and 49 deep-dive conversations with continental business leaders, a landmark study has revealed that personal relationships, rather than formal laws and regulations, ultimately drive business success in Africa. Dr Shaka Sisulu, a faculty member at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), shared the insights from his doctoral thesis on Africa In Business show, explaining that this reliance on personal networks holds true whether operating in fragile economies or highly sophisticated markets like Johannesburg.

Sisulu’s research also highlighted a troubling trend where severe economic and political uncertainty is actively stifling innovation across the continent. He noted that African corporate leaders are spending an inordinate amount of time, energy, and capital simply managing local crises, such as South African retailers investing millions to build private power grids against blackouts, rather than pursuing new market opportunities.

Furthermore, the study mapped the corporate landscape into distinct groups, noting a sharp rise in young tech entrepreneurs who intentionally avoid state structures entirely, while pointing out that top leadership remains heavily dominated by middle-aged men due to deep-seated trust barriers that keep female business leaders skeptical of corporate research interviews.

–ChannelAfrica–