According to Laine Barnard, extensive market research is vital in order to determine the best strategy before entering a country with a new product or service. He also reckons the process of urbanisation is steamrolling through Africa and with that comes more spending money and a growing desire to spend that money - making retail in Africa a hot topic right now. Read more about it in The story of the African consumer and The future of sustainable retail design in Africa. Kate Douglas identifies five Nigerian cities with business potential and Hilton Rose gives his thoughts on why great ideas die. The mobile industry seemed to be abuzz over the past week with all text messages banned in CAR, mobile money payments enabled between Tigo, Airtel, Zantel customers, and reports that mobile internet usage is on the increase in sub-Saharan Africa. If you happened to miss last week's awesome Biz Takeouts episode, do not fear - the podcast is now available. Have a great week! Cheers! Ilse van den Berg, Editor: Marketing & Media Africa (@Biz_Africa)
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