Relationships
We maintain contacts with entrepreneurs, investors, institutions and decision-makers across African markets.
Europe and Africa
Investing in West Africa
Africa is not a single market. Investing there takes knowledge of the region, dependable relationships and partners who are present on the ground.
Our view
Africa beyond the headlines.
Africa comprises 54 countries with their own economies, cultures and legal systems, and its economic weight for Europe is growing. German companies, mid-sized firms in particular, still invest little there. Many ventures fail early: the business model does not work locally, decisions are made in structures other than expected, or nobody leads the project in the region over the long term.
Thurn und Taxis Consulting AG runs ventures of its own in West Africa. We advise companies and investors on the basis of this experience. When a project does not make sense under the given conditions, we say so openly.
Advisor
Mirabell Mayack
For many years, Mirabell Mayack has connected European and African businesses. Her focus is investment and entrepreneurship in francophone sub-Saharan Africa. In 2018 she founded the African Investment Day, a conference that brings together investors, entrepreneurs and decision-makers from both continents.
As an advisor at TTC, she contributes to identifying opportunities early, building relationships in African markets and understanding the region’s development in greater depth.
View profileFocus
Where our work concentrates.
Investment
We look for ventures in which European expertise and capital create lasting value in Africa. For African businesses, we open access to networks in Europe.
Entrepreneurship
We connect established companies with Africa’s founders and emerging leaders.
Dialogue
We create occasions for exchange between African and European business communities and bring African perspectives into European debates.
Advisory
Advisory in eight stages.
The offer is modular. You start wherever your thinking currently stands and decide after each stage whether to continue.
Keynote “Africa: market potential or investment graveyard?”
45 to 90 minutes with discussion. A first overview of opportunities and risks.
Workshop “Africa as an investment region”
Half a day with management, executives or specialists.
Strategy day “Africa and us”
Your business model is tested against the conditions of African markets, ending with an initial investment idea.
Business model analysis
Review of the business idea for Africa and development of a business concept.
Feasibility study
Assessment of feasibility and, if positive, a market entry strategy.
Project planning
Conventional project planning, adapted to the target country’s decision-makers, social structures and cultural conditions.
Pilot project
Small-scale implementation, where the venture allows for a pilot.
Transfer
Transition into regular operations, with TTC as advisor or project manager.
At every stage we act as a sparring partner on equal terms. We recommend going ahead when a venture holds up, and advise against it when the structures speak against it.
Additional formats
Executive dinner
A dinner for management and senior executives with a keynote and, on request, an expert from your industry. In an informal setting we discuss a specific case or the role Africa could play in your future internationalisation.
Executive coaching
Preparation and support for executives taking on responsibility in Africa, with a focus on intercultural management and project leadership.
On the ground
Advice does not end with the business plan.
Whether an investment in Africa succeeds becomes clear in its execution. That is why TTC is present in the region and steers projects itself. With locations in Ghana, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and Morocco, our team works across anglophone, francophone and lusophone Africa.
Our business activities are accompanied by the Social Entrepreneurship Foundation and by initiatives in higher education, including the German University Institute Wilhelm von Humboldt in Guinea-Bissau. Well-trained local leaders are a precondition for lasting success, for European investors as well.
Team
Our West Africa team.
- Prof. Dr. Bernd Glazinski Chairman of the Executive Board
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Konrad Obermann Advisor, Head of Innovative Health
- Mirabell Mayack Strategic Advisor for Investment in Africa
The team combines many years of experience in African countries with entrepreneurial practice. We meet our partners in Africa on equal terms and develop economic prospects with them that work for both sides.
Africa is part of Europe’s future.
Demographics, entrepreneurship, technology and new trade routes are changing the relationship between Africa and Europe. For us, that means being present, building trust and maintaining relationships that grow over years.
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