Africa - the next growth frontier

While this global interest is certainly good news for the African economy, the reality is that Africa no longer has to wait for foreign investment and international corporations to unleash the economic potential of the continent. Businesses and entrepreneurs in Africa can start trading among themselves and keep the profits and benefits of increased trade with, and within the African continent. However, African businesses and entrepreneurs face the same challenge global investors and corporations do - the lack of a centralised point to access information about the products, services and opportunities available.

Informing consumers

"In line with its long established vision of 'Less Aid, Let's Trade', the Foundation for the Development of Africa, within the ambit of the 'I Support Africa' project, has embarked on a continental drive to gather information about and promote products and services serving Africa," explains Peter Metcalfe, chairman of the Foundation for the Development of Africa (FDA), which has, since 1999, been actively involved with initiating and facilitating business and other processes conducive to sustainable development in Africa.

"The core purpose of this project is to determine what products and/or services are available in any given local community and ultimately throughout Africa. From a local perspective, knowing what products and services are available, in any given community across the continent, will enhance and encourage local support for these listed products and services. Knowing what's available will also highlight products and services not available - revealing opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs."

This project, called Products and Services Serving Africa, uses a uniquely designed and user-friendly MySQL database for capturing and then sharing the information.

"This collective database of products and services serving Africa will constitute the backbone of trade throughout communities, throughout Africa and beyond and will be made available to the public via easy access search options such as mobile phones via SMS, the internet, latest touch-screen technology in shopping malls, call centres, information centres, community centres, government offices and any other medium available," added Metcalfe.

Business listings directory

In order to ensure the widest possible reach, the Products and Services Serving Africa project recognises the valuable contribution of existing listing services, such as local 'listing services' that operate commercially and offer free business listings along with a nominal fee for advertising; business associations that offer a 'members only' listing service; and the listing services occasionally offered by non-profit services such as community development organisations. The project therefore provides local listing service providers with a useful link from the Products and Services Serving Africa database, at no cost.

"To further extend increased trade and economic development, local governments are also urged to recognise these local 'listing services' within the framework of their Local Economic Development (LED) drives," says Metcalfe.

"It is further recommended that every LED department establishes its own local database of products and services serving the local community. This local database should accommodate and list all products and services available in the community, including links to reliable local listing service providers, and ultimately linking into the continental Products and Services Serving Africa database."

Local database

The FDA, via the I Support 'My Community' project, offers local governments a ready-to-use, local 'my community' database, which includes a feature allowing members of the community to list their products and services via SMS.

Local governments and local 'listing service providers' can submit their details to The Foundation for the Development of Africa for inclusion within the Products and Services Serving Africa database. Businesses are encouraged to list their company details, products and services which are not only available to other African businesses and entrepreneurs, but also to global investors and corporations investigating the opportunities on the continent.

For more, go to www.products-services-serving-africa.com.