Exporting to international markets is a powerful way for African tech startups to increase their company’s bottom line, smooth out seasonal dips, and increase competitiveness. The challenge is how to successfully navigate that process.
A critical part of the work by the International Trade
Centre’s NTF V programme is to train African entrepreneurs on how best to
conquer the complexities of global marketing and international sales.
In October, the Netherlands Trust Fund V Ghana Tech programme
concluded and eight-month Export Marketing Plan training for 18 IT &
Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) companies to sell their services across
the world.
“We will be using the training to improve our marketing
strategy and growth plan for 2023 and the years ahead,” said Nehemiah Yelu Attigah, founder and CEO
of Hatua Tech Ltd. “We are looking to venture into the UK, the Netherlands, and
Nigeria as primary markets, and Sierra Leone, Gambia, Kenya and Rwanda as
secondary markets,” said Attigah.
Hatua Tech is a Ghanaian business process outsourcing
business that helps companies in the service and manufacturing sectors
streamline and digitize their processes and manage effectively. Attigah said
his company has worked hard to get potential clients to see their value
proposition.
Led by expert Fred Janssen and local trainers Paulina Adjei
and Emmanuel Kpogo, the training included full day workshops, visits to the
companies and online coaching sessions.
“The facilitators and coaches were brutally honest with
their feedback,” said Attigah. “It was a refreshing approach. People are not
used to being pushed to think deeper,” he said.
The EMP breaks down how companies should identify their
internal strengths and weaknesses and determine which international markets
they will be able to expand into. Participants were given Export Marketing
handbooks to guide them through the training and develop their own tailor-made
service offering and export plan.
“This was not a box-ticking exercise, this was hands-on: you
were expected to deliver,” said Attigah, adding that his company has become far
more strategic in how it looked at markets in terms of product and marketing
combinations.
Partners from key institutions that ITC works with, such as
Joyce Owusu-Kwarteng from the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, David Gowu from
the Institute of ITC Professionals Ghana, and Akosua Annobil, the founder of
the Tech in Ghana biannual event, were also brought in to interact directly
with the companies.
“The presence of these government agency enablers at the
meetings means they now are aware that organizations like ours exist in Ghana,”
said Ernest Amartey Otu, Senior Manager, Marketing & Sales at e.Services
Africa Ltd., (eSAL) who also took part in the training.
eSAL is a 24-hour business process outsourcing operation
serving international and local Ghanaian and international clients in the
financial, telecommunication, healthcare, utilities and aviation industries, as
well as fast moving consumer goods, sales and marketing.
eSAL is working to reach additional international clients,
but is up against established players in Africa in Kenya, South Africa, Morocco
and Rwanda, and internationally in the Philippines and India.
“The competition is fierce and comes with a lot of finance
muscle. We are a small company trying to survive in those waters,” Otu said.
“The Marketing Mix Strategy, which looks at product, place, price, promotion
and most importantly planet, was key in how we articulated our value
proposition in our 5-year plan,” he said.
Otu is aware that giants like Amazon and Google entering
African countries could poach many of the best tech experts, leaving local
companies short of qualified workers. But, he notes, these larger corporations
would benefit more by partnering with local companies.
While confident as his company was already on the right path
to success, Otu said the ITC training helped eSAL better package its offerings.
“After critically analyzing our strengths, weaknesses
opportunities and threats (SWOT), we know we have what it takes to enter the
European market, specifically the United Kingdom,” said Otu.
Attigah agreed that trainings like those provided by NTF V
are important for tech companies who need to provide services at global-level
standards in order to sustain and grow their businesses.
“This is something we are encouraging and should be repeated
in the years to come, it will help a lot of African and Ghanaian businesses to
become international in their outlook and delivery,” Attigah added.
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