Want to do business in Africa?

You might want to read this article first. It's quite long but very enjoyable: it details the story of AES, an American utility company who is running the entire power network of Cameroon. The first batch of US managers did a terrible job by not adapting to the cultural issues of Africa such as accepting a slaughter of animals by chiefs and marabouts to make the rains come so that the hydro-electrics dams could run... Clearly not something you learn in business school, or as an American familliar with Cameroon's power sector says about the country:

"I can take the best executive in the world, put him in Cameroon, and by noon he’ll be curled up under his desk in the fetal position"

A Cameroonian-born engineer is now in charge of AES business in the country and he managed to turn around the company by relentlessly fighting against internal corruption and power thievery. The story is not over yet and many things could still go wrong at AES Cameroon but that's one of the few stories about a successful private investment in Africa.

I'm actually going back to Cameroon this Xmas. My first (and only) time there was in 1995 and many things must have changed but I'm sure I'm really going to have a fantastic time there. I'll post some pictures of the electric installations of AES if I can :)