Doing Business in Africa
Think Tank
The Think Tank Doing Business in Africa (DBA) researches business topics in Africa. It highlights the activities of the private sector and promotes exchange between the worlds of business, academia and politics.
Research
The think tank’s applied research focuses on providing a business analysis of the markets in Africa with direct practical relevance. Academia and business collaborate to produce findings that can be implemented in real-life settings. They take a holistic approach that considers operational business factors, a diverse range of industries and the perspectives of African and international companies. The objective is to generate substantiated knowledge for doing business in Africa and to strengthen Africa-related expertise in Germany.
Knowledge Transfer
The Think Tank Doing Business in Africa promotes practice-oriented knowledge transfer through conferences, workshops, webinars, lectures and other forms of dialogue to enable purposeful exchange between academia, business and politics. The objective is to combine current research findings with practical experience in order to develop innovative approaches to business and strategy in Africa. By using different formats, the think tank nurtures interdisciplinary discourse and helps to build international networks and develop skills.
DBA Network
The work carried out by the think tank is bolstered by an extensive interdisciplinary network for international cooperation with partners from academia, business and politics. This network forms a basis for international dialogue and successful implementation of joint projects. Close collaboration with institutions, companies and political stakeholders creates strong relationships that promote both research and knowledge transfer. The network combines research and practice and is a source of inspiration for innovative business practices in Africa.
DBA Events
The dates for the webinar series “DBA Talks” are announced here regularly.
Upcoming workshops, round tables and “Business meets Science” conferences are announced here regularly.
DBA on Social Media
The Think Tank Doing Business in Africa Team
The team behind the Doing Business in Africa Think Tank combines academic and practical experience. Meet the professors and staff who together are exploring a range of topics relating to business in Africa. Emma Schmid BSc, John Beitinger and Leonard Krause will be supporting the team as research assistants in the 2025/2026 winter semester.
The Core Team
Prof. Dr. Philipp von Carlowitz
Dr. Simon Züfle
Sophia Bauer, MA
Prof. Dr. Philipp von Carlowitz
Prof. von Carlowitz heads the Doing Business in Africa Think Tank. He has been Professor of Strategic and International Management at the ESB Business School of Reutlingen University since 2011, having previously held several management positions at BASF SE and Siemens AG. His research and consulting focus on growth strategies, business model development and adaptation, business opportunities in Africa and the emerging markets, strategy development and corporate internationalisation strategies. Alongside regularly conducting research in these fields and publishing his findings, Prof. von Carlowitz gives presentations to companies and at conferences and advises firms and institutions.
He regularly leads consulting projects, workshops and studies for companies and government ministries (e.g. the Austrian Development Agency, Austrian Economic Chambers, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, B. Braun, and Kärcher). He is a member of the Foreign Trade Committee at the Reutlingen Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
Dr. Simon Züfle
Dr. Züfle is a postdoctoral researcher at the Think Tank Doing Business in Africa . After graduating with a degree in International Relations, he first worked in the External Affairs department at Daimler AG where he focussed on global trade and industrial policy issues. He has been a researcher at Reutlingen University since June 2021. He wrote his thesis on China’s Belt and Road Initiative in East Africa. His main areas of research include the influence of geopolitical developments on businesses, internationalisation and market entry in emerging markets, as well as entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystems in African countries.
Dr. Züfle is an external lecturer at various German universities and regularly teaches on doing business in emerging markets, geopolitics and international business.
Sophia Bauer, MA
Sophia Bauer is the Research Communications Manager at the Doing Business in Africa Think Tank. After graduating with a Master’s degree in Media Studies from the University of Tübingen, she completed a two-year traineeship at the Communications and Marketing department at Reutlingen University. During her degree, she gained extensive practical experience in marketing and social media and worked as a freelance editor.
Research Fellows
Dr. Richard Adu-Gyamfi
Prof. Dr. Larissa Zierow
Prof. Dr. Tobias Schütz
Dr. Richard Afriyie Owusu
Dr. Richard Adu-Gyamfi
Dr Richard Adu-Gyamfi is an Affiliate Research Fellow at the Doing Business in Africa Think Tank. His research covers areas such as business and trade in Africa, special economic zones, entrepreneurship and small business development, small firm internationalization and market entry strategies, value chains, supplier development, linkages and spillover effects, and knowledge transfer. He has published articles in AIB Insights, World Affairs, the Journal of African Business and the Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review.
Dr Adu-Gyamfi has been involved in several African economic development and trade projects supported by, for example, the African Export-Import Bank, EU, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, German Academic Exchange Service, giz, South African National Treasury, Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs, UK Trade Partnership, and various UN agencies. He is a former Mo Ibrahim Leadership Fellow at the International Trade Centre, Switzerland, and a pioneer editor of the African Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Prof. Dr. Larissa Zierow
Larissa Zierow is Professor of Economics at the ESB Business School of Reutlingen University. She is a research professor at the ifo Institute and an affiliate of the international CESifo research network. She previously worked as a research associate at Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich, where she completed her dissertation on the economics of education in the Faculty of Economics. She then worked as an economist at the ifo Center for the Economics of Education at the ifo Institute in Munich, taking on the role of Deputy Director.
Prof. Zierow’s research covers the economics of education, labour economics, applied econometrics and public policy, with a focus on understanding the impact of investment in education on economic growth and societal well-being in both developed and developing countries.
Prof. Dr. Tobias Schütz
Prof. Schütz received his doctorate in 2005 from Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich and subsequently worked as a project manager for the top management consultancy Oliver Wyman and as Head of the European Customer Science practice group for J.D. Power & Associates. In 2010, he was appointed Professor of Marketing and Behavioural Economics at the ESB Business School in Reutlingen. He founded the Reutlingen Institute of Management in 2018, which he co-chairs as Managing Partner.
His teaching and research focus on customer orientation, service excellence, customer experience management, services marketing and customer loyalty. Prof. Schütz has extensive experience in international consulting, coaching and executive education in the IT, automotive, trade and FMCG sectors.
Dr. Richard Afriyie Owusu
Dr Richard Afriyie Owusu is an Associate Professor of Marketing and International Business at Linnaeus University, Sweden. His research focuses on business in emerging African markets, foreign market entry and competitiveness. He has consulted on international business for public and private companies and organizations in Africa and Europe. He completed his PhD in International Marketing at Hanken School of Business and Economics, Helsinki, Finland, where he also earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business Administration. Before studying in Finland, Dr Owusu received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Ghana, Legon.
Publications
The research team regularly publish articles in academic journals and write practice-oriented articles and studies for trade associations and government ministries. Their important contributions to research enable informed decision-making in business and politics. The overview also shows current presentations.
- Züfle, Simon & Carlowitz, Philipp von (2025). Strategies to overcome the liability of outsidership in geopolitical projects: The case of German firms in the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative in Africa. International Marketing Review (forthcoming).
- Züfle, Simon & Bickenbach, Frank (2025). From Myth to Reality: Making Sense of Innovation Hubs in Africa. Journal of African Business, to the publication.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von & Züfle, Simon (2025). Third-party market cooperation and non-Chinese multinational enterprises’ participation in the Belt and Road Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thunderbird International Business Review, to the publication.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von & Züfle, Simon (2025). Das chinesische Afrika-Engagement – und die Folgen für die deutsche Wirtschaft und Politik. Wirtschaftsdienst, 105(6), 439-443, to the publication.
- Züfle, Simon & Carlowitz, Philipp von (2025). The geopolitics, government-business relations, and triangular cooperation of ‘Africa+1’ conferences. Globalizations, to the publication.
- Züfle, Simon & Adu-Gyamfi, Richard (2025). How can international business-to-business partnerships in Africa contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals? AIB Insights, to the publication.
- Züfle, Simon; Wunu, Phanuel; Carlowitz, Philipp von (2024). It’s a Match: An exploratory study of success factors for business-to-business partnerships between German and Ghanaian companies. African Journal of Business and Economic Research, 19(4), 245-266.
- Züfle, Simon; Carlowitz, Philipp von; Büechl, Jörg (2024). China in Africa: Companies as enablers and beneficiaries? An empirical evaluation of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Business & Politics, 26(4), 573-597.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von & Züfle, Simon (Eds.) (2024). Business Success in Africa. Academic and Managerial Insights, Springer: Cham, to the publication.
- Züfle, Simon & Wunu, Phanuel (2024). Managing the Supply Chain in Africa: Managing the Supply Chain in Africa: The Role of Innovative Technologies in National and International Logistics, in: Carlowitz, Philipp von & Züfle, Simon (Eds.). Business Success in Africa: Academic and Managerial Insights. Springer: Cham, to the publication.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von & Züfle, Simon (2024). Key Takeaways and Learnings for Business Success in Africa, in: Ead. (Eds.): Business Success in Africa: Academic and Managerial Insights. Springer: Cham, to the publication.
- Züfle, Simon & Carlowitz, Philipp von (2024). Introduction: Relevance of Doing Business in Africa, in: Ead. (Eds.): Business Success in Africa: Academic and Managerial Insights. Springer: Cham, to the publication.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von (2024). The Need for a Contextualized Business Model in African Markets, in: Carlowitz, Philipp von & Züfle, Simon (Hrsg.). Business Success in Africa: Academic and Managerial Insights. Springer: Cham, to the publication.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von (2024). Business Environment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Status and Developments, in: Carlowitz, Philipp von & Züfle, Simon (Hrsg.). Business Success in Africa: Academic and Managerial Insights. Springer: Cham, to the publication.
- Züfle, Simon (2023). The Political Economy of China's Belt and Road Initiative in East Africa, Wiesbaden: Springer VS, to the publication.
- Züfle, Simon (2023). From Silicon Valley to Silicon Savannah: Conceptualizing Tech Hubs in Sub-Saharan Africa. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Advance online publication, to the publication.
- Züfle, Simon (2023). Jumping on the bandwagon? Business potentials for local African and international SMEs through China’s Belt and Road Initiative in the infrastructure sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. African Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2(2): 107-117.
- Züfle, Simon & Schneider, Christian. (2023). Technology Transfer through Business-to-Business Partnerships: Lessons from Sales Partnerships between German Manufacturers and African Distributors. IST-Africa 2023 Conference Proceedings, to the publication.
- Wunu, Phanuel & Züfle, Simon (2023). Key Success Factors for Promoting Business to Business Collaboration between enterprises from Africa and the Global North. Proceedings of the International Conference: Universities, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development in Africa, 6-23, to the PDF document.
- Züfle, Simon & Schneider, Christian (2023). Reaching the Sustainable Development Goals through business-to-business partnerships: Lessons from sales partnerships between German and African companies. African Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2(1), 51-80.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von (2023): Unternehmertum und Start-Ups in Afrika: Die Rolle im Afrikageschäft deutscher Unternehmen, in: Schmidt, Thomas/Pfaffenberger, Kay/Liebing, Stefan (Hrsg.): Praxishandbuch Wirtschaft in Afrika, 2. Aufl., Springer Verlag: Heidelberg, S. 33-51.
- Adu-Gyamfi, Richard (2022). Editorial Commentary: A Perspective of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Africa. African Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Vol. 1 No. 1 June, pp. 5-11, to the publication.
- Adu-Gyamfi, Richard; Kuada, John; Asongu, Simplice (2022). An Integrative Framework for Formal and Informal Entrepreneurship Research in Africa. Journal of African Business, to the publication.
- Dohse, Dirk; Fehrenbacher, Sophia; Carlowitz, Philipp von (2022). Potenziale entwickeln und Wissen teilen: deutsche Unternehmen in Afrika. Wirtschaftsdienst, 102 (7), 1-5.
- Züfle, Simon (2022): Die Seidenstraßeninitiative in Ostafrika: Auf dem Weg zu einer Hegemonie Chinas? Springer VS: Wiesbaden.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von (2020): Success in the Bottom of the Pyramid Market in Africa. The Case of Multinational Pharmaceutical Companies, Springer: Cham.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von & Züfle, Simon (2025). Geschäftschancen in Subsahara-Afrika – 15 Länderprofile. Eine vbw-Studie, to the PDF document.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von & Züfle, Simon (2024). Rahmenbedingungen für Geschäftstätigkeiten in Afrika. Eine vbw Studie, to the PDF document.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von & Züfle, Simon (2024). Herausforderungen und Strategien für das bayerische Afrikageschäft. Eine vbw Studie, to the PDF document.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von (2022). Top Länder und Megatrends in Subsahara Afrika - Chancen für die österreichische Wirtschaft. Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Wirtschaft (BMAW), Österreich, to the PDF document.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von (2022). Chancen für die bayerische Wirtschaft in Subsahara-Afrika – 15 Länderprofile. Eine vbw Studie, to the PDF document.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von & Züfle, Simon (2022). Chinas Subsahara-Afrika-Engagement – Chancen und Herausforderungen für die bayerische Wirtschaft. Eine vbw Studie, to the PDF document.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von (2020). Digitalisierung in den Zukunftsmärkten Subsahara Afrikas. Chancen und Geschäftsmodelle für österreichische Unternehmen, to the PDF document.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von (2019). Markteintrittsstrategien und Geschäftsmodelle für Subsahara Afrika.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von (2019). Potentiale in Subsahara Afrika nutzen. Chancen für die österreichische Wirtschaft.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von (2018). Chancen in Subsahara Afrika nutzen. Studie herausgegeben vom Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Wohnungsbau Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart.
2025
- Carlowitz, Philipp von: Keynote on business issues faced by Bavarian companies in Africa, Subsahara Africa Lunch hosted by IHK (Chamber of Commerce) for Munich and Upper Bavaria, Munich, 21.07.2025.
- Züfle, Simon: Effective entrepreneurial ecosystems in weak institutional environments: A network-based perspective on start-up promoting activities of innovation hubs in Africa, British Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Research Conference, Leicester, 21.05.2025.
- Carlowitz, Philipp von: Doing Business in Africa: Key trends, challenges, and business approaches, Presentation at Alfred Kärcher GmbH, Winnenden, 28.01.2025.
2024
- Adu-Gyamfi, Richard & Züfle, Simon: Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: How can international business-to-business partnerships in Africa contribute? Paper Development Workshop of AIB Insights, Nairobi, 28./29.05.2024.
- Züfle, Simon & Bickenbach, Frank: From Myth to Reality: Making Sense of Innovation Hubs in Africa. Research Workshop Doing Business in Africa, ESB Business School, Reutlingen, 23.04.2024.
- Züfle, Simon: China in Africa: What it means for companies, Konferenz Doing Business in Africa – Business Meets Science, IHK Reutlingen, 22.04.2024.
- Züfle, Simon& Carlowitz, Philipp von: Overcoming the liability of outsidership in geopolitical initiatives: Lessons from strategies of German companies in the Belt and Road Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa. Paper Presentation at the UK and Ireland Chapter Conference of the Academy of International Business, Birmingham, 05.04.2024.
- Züfle, Simon & Carlowitz, Philipp von: A new scramble for Africa? The geopolitics, government-business relations and triangular cooperation of ‘Africa+1’ conferences. Paper Presentation at the Early Career Consortium of the European Academy of Management, Barcelona, 12.03.2024.
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