Ground-breaking Report to be Released on East Africa’s Family-Owned Businesses

• Ground-breaking Report to be Released on East Africa’s Family-Owned Businesses

London (Thursday 26th September 2019) — Asoko Insight, Africa’s leading corporate data provider is producing a groundbreaking report that will be published by Business Intelligence Unit, on East Africa’s Family-Owned Businesses (FOB).

The landmark report aggregates data from in-country repositories including credit reference bureaus, tax authorities, registrars, regulators and private sector associations, as well as five years of on-the-ground research in Africa conducted by Asoko’s team of over 50 in-country analysts.

The report will contain a structural analysis of the key sectors where FOBs are concentrated, including manufacturing and construction, agro-processing, and consumer goods, as well as deep dives into major companies within them. Readers will have access to key actionable information and an understanding of consequential forces at play in the rapidly evolving economic landscape of sub-Saharan Africa.

East Africa’s FOB environment offers unique investment opportunities for the Africa-focused global finance and corporate community. These businesses typically have a long, multi-generational history, are robust and interested in modernisation and expansion. The main obstacle to creating synergies within this sector has been its opacity, as details on these companies’ nature, size and shareholding are largely unavailable. This report brings those details to light in a transparent, methodology-driven, data-centric manner.

Along with a structural analysis of each FOB sector and deep dives into major companies within them, readers will have access to key actionable information and an understanding of consequential forces at play in the rapidly evolving economic landscape of sub-Saharan Africa. Asoko has released several teasers from the report in recent months, providing a brief look into the composition and characteristics of the FOB landscape. For example, a Kenya focused teaser revealed that there are 490 family-owned firms in the country earning revenues in excess of $10 million, with a highlight on 22 of them earning over $100 million. Further analysis indicated that these firms operate across various sectors, from banks to air freight and logistics companies. This diversification sets it apart from other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where the leading FOBs are largely concentrated in the industrial manufacturing and agro-processing sectors.

Another teaser focused specifically on FOBs in Rwanda’s construction sector, with Asoko research identifying 14 family-owned businesses with revenues over $10 million, three of which sit within the construction industry. Further Asoko analysis revealed that Rwanda’s construction sector is booming, with revenues rising by 60% since 2012 and regulatory changes helping to propel the country into the second spot in sub-Saharan Africa in The World Bank’s 2019 “Doing Business” report.

The final report, scheduled for publication by the end of the year is set to deliver a holistic view of East Africa’s FOB universe. Combining macro-level analysis with detailed company data, the report is set to be invaluable to readers looking to do business with this key segment of the market across East Africa.