The Initiative for Global Development and Dalberg Global Development advisors recently released Frontier 100's new report on business to business (B2B) partnerships. The report, Business-to-Business Partnerships: Recommendations for Expansion Across Africa, is the fist resource that profiles successful partnerships and includes recommendations for entering, structuring, implementing and ending partnerships from CEOs of leading global multinational companies.

• Partnerships between local and foreign firms in Sub-Saharan Africa have great potential to spur broad-based economic growth and reduce poverty
  • Core business activities can contribute to local economic development through the introduction of new goods or services and by developing the local workforce through employee training
• Business-to-business (B2B) partnerships help companies navigate local business climates and seize investment opportunities
  • Partnering with local, African companies facilitates cross-border expansion in Africa
• Companies are expanding in Africa to take advantage of rapid economic growth
  • The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that seven of the top ten fastest growing economies over the next five years will be in Africa.

The report was informed by discussions among CEOs from IGD’s Frontier 100 network at the Frontier 100 Forum in New York, October 2011. CEOs emphasized that the fundamentals of partnerships are the same in Africa as in other parts of the world, but Africa’s dynamic markets and diversity among the 54 African countries makes cross-border expansion particularly complex. Partnerships with local companies can help foreign firms, headquartered within or outside of Africa, gain on-the-ground knowledge, navigate local business climates and seize investment opportunities.

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