Africa-India Advisory Desk launched

31 Jul 2013

Global public relations and communications firm, Burson-Marsteller, has announced the launch of its Africa-India Advisory Desk which mandate is to assist Indian and African companies to navigate the African continent and Indian sub-continent respectively.

The initiative will be spearheaded by Arcay Burson-Marsteller in South Africa and Genesis Burson-Marsteller in India. It will offer a range of services from market-entry analysis and strategy to stakeholder mapping to delivering customized communication across diverse audience(s) viz. customers, government and financial institutions.

"The Africa-India Advisory Desk was prompted by our experience of working across multiple markets in Africa and across India, and understanding that companies/organisations may be challenged by the divergent cultures, business landscapes and unique legal and political environments," commented Robyn de Villiers, chairman and CEO for Africa of Johannesburg-based, Arcay Burson-Marsteller.

"We believe that our 20+ years' experience of providing regionally appropriate, locally-driven communications services, seamlessly executed across the African continent, combined with Genesis Burson-Marsteller's robust spectrum of communication offerings across the Indian sub-continent, will be a winning combination for our clients."

A single point of contact

"We believe cross border Africa-India business opportunities represent enormous potential for both African companies doing business in or with India, as well as, Indian companies looking at investing or expanding into Africa. For the benefit of our clients and prospects we are bringing together our premier networks in Africa and India in the Africa-India Advisory Desk - a single point of contact that draws on Burson-Marsteller's global expertise and local knowledge to enable business opportunities across national frontiers - into the African continent or Indian sub-continent," said Jeremy Galbraith, CEO Burson-Marsteller Europe Middle East & Africa (EMEA).

Enhanced economic, political, social and cultural cooperation between India and Africa has promise and potential is self-evident from the fact that India and Africa together account for a huge market of 2.2 billion people with a combined GDP of more than $3 trillion. According to a recent CII-WTO report on India-Africa: South-South Trade and Investment for Development, India-Africa bilateral trade has grown from $1 billion in 2001 to around $50 billion in 2011-12. At the same time, India's investments in Africa are estimated to be over $50 billion now.

"Globally, interest and opportunity in Africa is unprecedented. However, doing business in Africa is complex and can be daunting. Doing business in India can be similarly challenging. The Africa-India Advisory Desk, building on the strengths of our African hub and our Indian hub, we believe, can help our clients achieve business success in both markets," adds Prema Sagar, Principal and Founder of Genesis Burson-Marsteller.