Africa is just like every other place, in that it is unlike any other place

Abstract

In this commentary we make a case that an increased focus on strategic management in Africa is both very timely and very necessary. We discuss existing research in this area, arguing that there is not quite enough of it and that authors could do a better job at accumulating knowledge. We then proceed to identify some topic areas we consider to be particularly fruitful. These include multinational enterprises from within as well as from outside Africa and new ventures and innovation. We further suggest that the literature needs to move away from merely considering Africa to be a challenging place to do business towards studying how firm strategies in Africa are actually created and implemented. Such an approach would align well with developments in the world of practice, because strategy in Africa is becoming ever more sophisticated.