CWC VOICES // Cheers to 2023
The CWC says thank you to the collaborators who made the Doing Business in Africa case series possible
December is always a time for taking stock of the year that was: the challenges, the learnings, the triumphs. At the GSB Case Writing Centre, we are focussing on the triumphs of 2023 – and one in particular for African business cases. In a year when many universities, businesses, and organisations of all kinds took major steps to digitise their work and strengthen their hybrid systems after a rushed move to online in 2020–2022, we at the CWC did the same with our innovative online case series, Doing Business in Africa (DBIA).
When the DBIA series launched in May of this year, it was the culmination of a years-long dream to create African case studies that leverage the full power of visual, audio, and digital media to make African business stories accessible to more people on the continent and beyond, and that make sense for our information consumption habits in the digital age. The result is a collection of “deconstructed cases” that allow readers to hear about African business challenges from the company leaders themselves, access a breadth of industry data and research, and get insights from subject matter experts from the GSB and industry.
Over the last six months, we have published a collection of deconstructed cases that includes a digital services provider from Kenya, a business process outsourcing company in South Africa, an agritech scale-up from Nigeria, and a recycling company from South Africa. Each case brought us into conversation with inspiring and insightful business leaders and sent us into vastly different country and industry contexts, all with the goal of enriching the learning experiences of business students, educators, entrepreneurs, investors, managers, and innovators.
Expect to hear more from us about the DBIA cases in our archive and new African business stories in the new year. But as 2023 draws to a close, we would like to extend our deep gratitude to the many people who made this series possible. Each case is the product of close collaboration with partners from across industry, academia, and the innovation ecosystem.
First, to our DBIA business leaders and conversation partners on the Dilemma Podcast – Qhala CEO Shikoh Gitau, Merchants SA Director of Transformation Sydwell Shikweni, Hello Tractor CSO & COO Folu Okunade, and Regenize CEO Chad Robertson – thank you for your willingness to discuss the real challenges and dynamics within your businesses in the spirit of learning. Our protagonists' openness about their own entrepreneurial and professional journeys makes it possible for more entrepreneurs and leaders to emerge.
To our GSB faculty, researchers, and former faculty who provided expert insights on the case dilemmas – Professor of Strategy Mikael Samuelsson, former Director of the Bertha Centre and current Director of the Schwab Foundation for the World Economic Forum Dr François Bonnici, Professor of Organisational Behaviour Linda Ronnie, and Professor of Leadership Kurt April – thank you for sharing your highly specialised business knowledge and research with a wider audience of learners. GSB faculty are passionate about generating research that is relevant for emerging markets and educating the African business leaders of tomorrow, and they show that in DBIA.
To the members of industry and the wider business ecosystem who provided expert insights on the case dilemmas – CEO of Devboks Toni Yannick Kalombo, CEO of Silulo Luvuyo Rani, CEO of Mercer South Africa Tamara Parker, and Chief Product Officer of Viridian Michelle Matthews – thank you for providing the invaluable perspectives of people who engage with these case issues on the ground every day. These experts have extensive experience, often across multiple fields, that make them uniquely positioned to weigh in on important, relevant topics in Africa.
To all of these partners and the others that helped behind the scenes (especially graphic designer Leah de Jager), we on the CWC team – Manager Claire Barnardo, Case Editor Sarah Boyd, and Case Writer Thabile Bhengu – send our deepest thanks for helping us bringing the dream of DBIA to life. We will see you in 2024!
