Research projects
The Think Tank Doing Business in Africa is currently conducting several applied research projects on business in Africa. The researchers primarily pursue an empirical research approach in which interviews with experts from companies are used to generate data. The DBA team has already published many results and will continue to develop and present new findings over the next years for research and practice of Business in Africa.
Market entry and internationalisation
What factors contribute to the success of German-African business partnerships? How do companies choose their market entry form, e.g. exports or localization? This particular work package has a dual focus: Firstly, it examines the criteria for the selection of African partners, factors for successful bilateral collaboration and the influence of cultural differences. Secondly, it concentrates on companies’ motives for internationalisation and approaches to localised market development in Africa.
This work package currently focuses on the following applied business research topics:
- Success factors of business-to-business (B2B) partnerships
- Trust-building factors for successful partnerships between German manufacturers and their distributors in African markets
- African distributor’s perspective on successful North-South B2B partnerships
- Perception of cultural differences on the success of German-African B2B partnerships
- Impact of geopolitical developments on increasing the level of localization in African markets
- Sequential increase of localization in African markets
- Internal and external decision variables influencing variables to localize business in Africa
Publications:
- 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, 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.
Tech hubs and entrepreneurship
While tech and innovation hubs have emerged in many African countries over the past 15 years and are now omnipresent in the continent’s start-up ecosystem, there has been insufficient research into many key questions surrounding these hubs. One significant area of inquiry is the extent to which tech hubs in Africa make a real contribution to promoting entrepreneurship and how they can encourage entrepreneurship amongst marginalised groups. In addition, the DBA team examines various issues relating to entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs and the ecosystem.
This work package currently focuses on the following applied business research topics:
- Innovation hubs’ start-up promoting activities against the backdrop of challenging institutional environments in African entrepreneurial ecosystems
- Internal and external network brokerage of African innovation hubs and its limits
- Entrepreneur’s spatial and temporal (im)mobility in African innovation hubs
- Patterns of African start-up internationalization in innovation hubs
Publications:
- Züfle, Simon & Carlowitz, Philipp von (2026). Navigating Institutional Voids in African Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Insights from Innovation Hubs in Ghana and Kenya, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, to the publication.
- Züfle, Simon & Bickenbach, Frank (2025). From Myth to Reality: Making Sense of Innovation Hubs in Africa. Journal of African Business, 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.
New technologies and business models
New technologies are drivers of business, also in Africa. They can mitigate business challenges and be the source of new, innovative business model. The research examines operational value chain activities and strategic considerations with regard to the use of new technologies. How can new technologies simplify business activities in order to better cope with challenging business conditions? What potential do new technologies have for the development of new business models in Africa?
This work package currently focuses on the following applied business research topics:
- Adoption, integration, and effectiveness of digital technologies in talent acquisition and retention in the context of multinational and local companies in Africa
- How do companies in Africa use technology for talent management under conditions of uneven digital access?
- The role of digital technologies to mitigate internal skill gaps in multinational and local companies’ contexts in Africa
- Emergence of new (digital) business models in Africa that enable scalable and sustainable value creation
Publications:
- Carlowitz, Philipp von; Züfle, Simon; Schmid, Emma (2025). The Role of Digital Technologies in the African Agricultural Sector. GIGA Focus Africa, 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.
Go2Market and sales
Business research on Africa often lacks practice-oriented analyses into how companies can transform market opportunities into concrete go-to-market strategies and sales. Amongst the research topics are pricing, promotion, sales channels, distribution, and product adaptation. A comparative approach is taken between African, local companies and (large) international companies to ascertain different approaches by different types of companies. Based on interviews with African and German companies, the think tank’s researchers generate the data for their empirical investigation into the research questions.
This work package currently focuses on the following applied business research topics:
- Exploration of revenue model design in Africa and the role of digitalization
- Understanding how local companies set prices in Africa and the influence of contextual factors
- Analysing the effectiveness of different distribution channels to tap into African markets and different customer segments
- How can companies overcome (distribution) logistics challenges in Africa through the use of new technologies?
Publications:
- Carlowitz, Philipp von & Züfle, Simon (Eds.) (2024). 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.
Other research topics
In addition to the above-mentioned focal points, other topics complement the research agenda of the DBA team:
- Geopolitics and international business, in particular China’s involvement in Africa and the implications for companies
- Africa’s role for DAX companies
- Skilled workers in Africa
- Bottom-of-the-pyramid business in Africa (Africapitalism)
Publications:
- Züfle, Simon & Carlowitz, Philipp von (2025). Taking a chance on the private sector. D+Z Development and Cooperation, to the publication.
