Africa: Business in Trump's Shithole Countries

Young Ilan Ziri was first exposed to Africa working for the Israeli telecommunications corporation of Motorola. His first stop in a decades-long business trip was Kinshasa, Zaire. This is where he fell in love with the people of Africa, and where he experienced dangerous adventures which turned out to open more business opportunities. This is where he first became acquainted with the African cuisine, gradually becoming a true connoisseur of African food. He later spent considerable...
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Young Ilan Ziri was first exposed to Africa working for the Israeli telecommunications corporation of Motorola. His first stop in a decades-long business trip was Kinshasa, Zaire. This is where he fell in love with the people of Africa, and where he experienced dangerous adventures which turned out to open more business opportunities. This is where he first became acquainted with the African cuisine, gradually becoming a true connoisseur of African food. He later spent considerable time in business ventures in Sierra Leone and Gabon, adapting himself to different markets and cultures. Doing business in Africa means adapting oneself to a business codex different from what is customary in the west. Ziri has soon learned that a good businessman is not necessarily one who knows to make five out of two plus two, but one who knows how to speak the same language with his business partners, not necessarily in the linguistic sense of the word. The ABC of successful business is giving potential partners the love, trust and respect one expects for oneself. It is precisely because so many business ventures in Africa fail to understand that it is a totally different ballgame than what they have been used to in western markets, that Ilan had decided to take advantage of his better understanding of African markets. After several years of work with the French telecommunications giant of CFAO, Ilan turned independent - which has enriched his understating of the African continent even more. The book portrays some remarkable business partners - in Africa and elsewhere - who have left an impressive mark in the telecommunications development of their countries - and became life-long friends of the author.The concluding chapters of this book shed light on the complexities of running a company in the process of liquidation. Ilan was in charge of managing the ailing Leadcom telecommunications company on behalf of the court receivership, responsible for preparation and execution of a turnaround plan. By 2004, after four difficult years, the company was totally rehabilitated.