During the pandemic, I went through an identity crisis and subsequent ‘homecoming’ to myself and my African identity, which is a separate blog post for a different day.
As part of my ‘journey home’ to myself, I experimented with Cameroonian dishes, listened to more Cameroonian music, and reconnected with a number of old Cameroonian friends.
My friend’s wedding invite could not have come at a better time. She was marrying a Cameroonian in her hometown of Abuja, Nigeria. It had been a decade since I’d last stepped foot on the continent, and the opportunity felt like it was meant to be (there is no better time to be in West Africa for vibes than Detty December).
Though I spent 8 years of my adolescent life in Cameroon, where my family is from, I’d never been to Nigeria and I intended to visit Ghana for the first time as well. I was excited, yet anxious. There was so much unknown, unfamiliarity. I’d only ever spent time with family while in Africa; this time we’d be going to bars and clubs. What if nightlife got dangerous? If someone robbed me or spiked my drink or kidnapped my sister and I?
I bought us pepper spray keychains off Amazon, undergarments with zippers we could tuck our passports away in, I got Airtags to braid into my hair, a dummy cell phone for nights out and printed a list of emergency contacts that I glued to both mine and my sister’s passports. As far as it was in our power, we were going to be safe.
The funny thing about venturing into uncharted waters is that more often than not, things turn out just alright – or even better. We never used any of the supplies we’d gotten for safety measures because Abuja, Lagos, Accra and every other city we visited ended up being comparable to Denver, London, Toronto, and any other city I’ve visited outside Africa. Make smart decisions, stay vigilant and don’t leave your drink unattended. (Sure, there’s a bit more haggling and assertiveness required to survive in Nigeria, I can’t gloss over that!)
During the trip, I got to meet with local vendors with offices in Africa, who we would be partnering with for research in Nigeria for a global social media brand. I was very excited to visit their facility and see what it’d be like. It’s one thing to grow up in Africa, and another thing to do business there. I was curious about business operations and how they compared to what I’m more used to here in the United States.
Was market research different from how it happens in the U.S.? Yes. Was it feasible? Also yes.
Considering the 54 independent nations across the continent of Africa, it is understandable that there is a lot of uncertainty for businesses considering operating there. For decades, it was called ‘The Dark continent’ because of how little was known about the people and cultures. In today’s cancel culture, it might be even more daunting to do any type of business in Africa because the global cancel culture calls for unfamiliar grounds to be walked with extra sensitivity.
The key takeaway is this: there are more similarities than differences when doing market research in Africa.
A focus group is a focus group wherever you go. 4-6 people in a room with a moderator asking questions. Simple. What’s not so simple are the nuances of how research is conducted.
Here are some examples of what I mean:
At the Airbnb in Lagos, we lost power about 2-3 times a day. Fortunately, the host had a generator that the security guard would turn on almost instantaneously. This raised the question: if respondents are taking these virtual IDIs from home, have we included a question in the screener about generators?
The reality is that the average middle-class person most likely does not have a generator and that’s who we wanted to talk to for our research.
You see a problem; we find a solution: How about each respondent goes into the focus group facility for their IDI. That way, we know they have consistent power and internet and backup for both in the event that something happened. Problem solved!
The next thing that was apparent was traffic. For most people, it is nearly unimaginable to be over an hour late for a meeting. I was ‘most people’ until I sat in traffic in the Lagos heat in a car ride to the facility at 9 am (the driver had showed up at 7am to make sure he wasn’t late). This gave us perspective into the struggle that respondents might have if scheduled for IDIs during rush hour and depending on whether they were coming from the “Mainland” or “Island”. We put more of a time buffer in between interviews and gave respondents an earlier start time than necessary to get ahead of this.
One huge caveat: Africa is a diverse continent so not all African countries are the same. These are just two examples of what we have learned doing market research in Africa for major global brands and visiting a few countries on the continent myself.
It is likely that research on the continent will only continue to grow. Going global is the way of the future for most brands and Africa is highly untapped, presenting significant opportunities for companies to expand their customer base.
The continent has a young and rapidly growing population which translates into a large consumer market with increasing purchasing power.
If your focus is on Gen Z, 70% of Nigeria’s population is under the age of 35.
If you’re a brand, your competitors are going to Africa.
If you’re an agency, your competitors are learning how to do research across Africa.
Lastly, connecting with African consumers means connecting with the Diaspora.
A unique attribute of consumers in Africa is that they are connected to consumers outside of Africa. While Nigeria has 206 million inhabitants, there are also 17 million Nigerians living abroad. This gives brands the leverage to target for multiple hits. Additionally, more than 35 million Africans in the diaspora often return to the continent on an annual basis. This means that if you’re winning in Africa, chances are your brand awareness is going right back to the 75 countries where Africans currently reside abroad.
One final example:
While in Nigeria, I noticed people using Snapchat in a way that I haven’t since 2018; streaks and filters were part of their daily lives. It made sense to me as to why my Nigerian friends in the U.S. tend to be so active on there, often reposting their Snaps to other platforms.
In Ghana, every tour company we explored (and even local clubs and restaurants) redirected us to their WhatsApp for all inquiries and information, whereas I’m more accustomed to a business Instagram page. Both scenarios represented a cadence to social media that was very different from how I use it, but underscored two points:
Africans on the continent and abroad tend to influence one another when it comes to social media/ digital behavioral patterns.
To understand the African consumer, you must put away your non-African expectations and rationale to meet them where they’re at.
Personally, I’m on a mission to continue exploring the continent. A few months after my return from Ghana, I was on a family vacation in Egypt where I experienced another incredibly different way of (African) life.
There’s so much diversity on the continent, and there is a ton to explore, but if Africa has ever been on your radar for personal or professional I’d say, don’t fear the unknown. Go for it!
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