About us

Once a continent far behind, Africa has been showing high economic growth rates and sustainable development for more than a decade.

Traditionally many international companies have had little or no operations on the continent.

With an accelerating economy, a population of over 1 billion people and a fast expanding middle class, many companies see Africa as the last frontier.

Africa Business Communities is servicing companies and organisations operating on the continent.

The social networks of Africa Business Communities are connecting over 100,000 business professionals worldwide with an interest in the continent.


MARKET RESEARCH

Africa Business Communities is one of the major players in African market research through the Africa Business Panel, a strong research tool with over 5000 participants.

Members of Africa Business Panel work in the private sector for companies registered in and operating out of Africa. They are the senior managers, entrepreneurs or professionals that form the backbone of the business community throughout Africa.

In January 2011 we have launched the Africa Business Confidence Index - being the only research institute worldwide publishing the pan-African economical sentiment. For clients we have monthly indexes available per country and sector.

Purchasing Managers Indices are rapidly becoming the most prominent economic data releases internationally, as a reliable gauge and early indicator of the underlying economic activity. The Africa Business Confidence Index (ABCI) follows the logic and methodology of the PMI confidence indices.

In addition to the index we publish a monthly survey focussing on different aspects of the African economy. Learn here about our latest research:

International investors choose South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya as the best African countries on the continent for investment in 2011

For clients - companies, governments, NGO's - Africa Business Communities conducts research in all African countries.


RECRUITMENT

 Africa Business Communities has direct access to over 100,000 players in the African Economy. For a broad range of clients we recruit professionals in all African countries. That might either be directors, managers, staff, specialists. We recruit for all branches and have strong positions in ICT, Media, Banking & Investment, Agribusiness, Oil & Mining, Sustainable Energy, the Public Sector and NGO's.


LEAD GENERATION

With lead generation anything goes - inviting participants for your conferences, presentations, networking events. Selecting importers, exporters, distributors. Finding business partners, clients, investors.

Please feel free to contact us with your request.


PUBLISHING & MARKETING

We upload African business news on our website on a daily bases. We publish our online magazine Africa Business Communities News weekly to 25,000+ subscribers.

In addition to news stories we publish interviews, research, views and business leads.

To sponsors and advertisers we offer presence on the continent. Through bannering and advertising. And also through editorial content - interviews and opinion - for even more impact.

Well defined target groups give our clients the opportunity to conduct highly effective direct marketing campaigns.


MEDIA STRATEGY & PR

As a fast growing young economy Africa often is compared with emerging markets like Brazil, India and Turkey. There are many parallels but also many differences. What can make Africa a complicated case is the fact that Africa is not one country but 55. How are you going to build your brand in 55 countries? How to conduct your media strategy? How can you get in contact with over 10,000 African journalists in a highly fragmented media landscape?

Africa Business Communities has spent over three years getting connected with the African media. We have built relationships with thousands of African journalists resulting in the Africa Press List.

The Africa Press List is a powerful and highly effective PR tool being fully interactive. Our clients get direct access to this online tool that enables you to conduct tailor made press release campaigns since you can differentiate on:

• 55 countries in Africa
• A worldwide selection of journalists working for the most prominent media reporting on Africa
  
• 5 regions - North, West, Central, East and Southern Africa
• All major African cities
• 3 languages - English, French, Portuguese
• 5 media types - television, radio, newspapers, magazines, internet
• 30 fields of interest

So you send your press releases to English speaking newspaper journalists in Abuja, Nigeria, reporting on politics. Or to all French speaking journalists in Cameroun working for television, reporting on fashion. Or to all Portuguese journalists worldwide, reporting on African business. Well, it is all up to you.

We offer our clients both a yearly subscription to the Africa Press List and pay-as-you-go. Please feel free to contact us with your request.

In addition to the Africa Press List we can develop and run your newsletters and websites. As a special service we can develop your own social network or integrate your existing social network in our network that will guarantee fast growth and presence of your brand in the African business community.


SOCIAL NETWORKING

The backbone of Africa Business Communities is social networking. We are present on Twitter, Facebook, NING and Digg. But for the objectives of our company LinkedIn is the prime social network.

We have launched over 50 LinkedIn Groups, with over 60,000 members. That makes Africa Business Communities the worldwide largest Africa related player on LinkedIn by far.

These are our LinkedIn strongholds:


General

Africa Business Communities
AfricaNews
Africa Business Leads
Africa Jobs & Vacancies
Africa Startups
Africa Business Women Network
Africa Management Consulting

Cities & Regions

Lagos Business Club
Johannesburg Business Club
East Africa Business Club
Cairo Business Club
Middle East Africa Business
Cape Town Business Club
Accra Business Club


Sectors

Africa ICT Network
Africa Oil Network
Africa Banking Group
Africa Import Export Trading
Africa Travel & Tourism
Africa Sustainable Energy Network
Africa Media Network


CLIENT LIST

Africa Business Communities works for:

• 1%Club
• Africa Interactive
• BiD NETWORK
• eVentures Africa Fund
  
• Explainer DC
• GhanaWeb
• ING Lease
• My Flower Trader
• Nike
• Oxfam Novib
• Pharm Access 
• Philips
• South African Tourism
  
  

A SOCIAL VENTURE

Africa Business Communities is a social venture. Our objectives are to:

• Serve our clients
• Make profit for our shareholders
• Enable our employees to learn and flourish
• Respect human rights & environment 
• Create employment in Africa
• Stimulate African entrepreneurship
• Transfer knowledge to Africa
• Connect the world to Africa - and Africa to the world - through social media

Africa Business Communities has offices in Haarlem - The Netherlands and Accra - Ghana.

www.africabusinesscommunities.com

For more information on the services of Africa Business Communities, please contact Bas Vlugt - bas@africabusinesscommunities.com