[WHITE PAPER] Accelerating Market Entry in Africa
IBM, Dow and PYXERA Global Show How Global Pro Bono Initiatives Advance Market Entry Strategies
Washington, D.C., November 3, 2014 /3BL Media/ – PYXERA Global is pleased to announce Accelerating Market Entry in Africa, a joint white paper by Stan Litow, Vice President, Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs, IBM and President of IBM International Foundation, Neil Hawkins, Corporate Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, The Dow Chemical Company, and Deirdre White, CEO, PYXERA Global.
Accelerating Market Entry in Africa illuminates how successful global pro bono programs such as IBM’s Corporate Service Corps and the Dow Sustainability Corps enable companies to make positive gains in growing African markets while contributing to economic and social well-being.
Cultural misconceptions and continued stereotypes regarding the African continent can keep corporations from some of the region’s most burgeoning markets. According to the white paper, “Africa is a large and dynamic continent, where more than 54 countries and an even greater number of unique cultures and languages can complicate what many American CEOs might consider a standard approach to doing business.”
One of the best ways corporations can connect their people and values with communities in Africa is to provide first-hand experience on the ground. Short-term, global pro bono immersion programs can provide the important insights that enable corporations to better assess, and ultimately invest long-term in mutually beneficial business models.
IBM’s Corporate Service Corps, for example, which was launched in 2008, is now the world’s largest global pro bono program with an average of 500 participants annually. Nearly 3,000 IBM employees hailing from 56 countries have been sent to 37 nations since the program began. The Corporate Service Corps authentically raises the company’s profile by providing a mechanism to introduce itself not only as a service provider, but as a company that positively contributes to the communities in which it operates. Following several Corporate Service Corps engagements in Cross River Province, Nigeria, for example, IBM competed for and won a consulting contract in the areas to help administer social service and welfare programs that is now contributing to the reduction of mother and child mortality.
Similar to IBM’s Corporate Service Corps, the Dow Sustainability Corps has built high-value relationships with government and commerce by sending employees directly to Ghana and Ethiopia on pro bono assignments. At the same time, Dow’s global pro bono efforts have been integrated into a comprehensive leadership development program, Leadership in Action, in which employee participants today are able to engage hands-on with communities in emerging geographies or new markets for Dow.
“These projects enabled our emerging leaders to appreciate and better manage some of the unexpected challenges of doing business in Africa… and realize that it’s worth it,” Ross McLean, President of Dow Sub Saharan Africa, said regarding the cooperation’s global pro bono successes. “Working with the local staff, our participants identified business opportunities as a result of the engagement.” McLean said.
White papers such as Accelerating Market Entry in Africa illuminate the ability of global pro bono to serve the interests of almost any corporation interested in gaining insight into new markets. Approaching new markets in this way facilitates long-term social and economic development and shared prosperity.
Download the white paper here: Accelerating Market Entry in Africa. Learn how global pro bono programs can help establish market entrance and gains for your company.
About PYXERA Global
PYXERA Global (@PYXERAGlobal) leverages the unique strengths of corporations, governments, social sector organizations, educational institutions, and individuals to enhance the abilities of people and communities to solve complex problems and attain mutually beneficial goals. With a quarter century of experience in more than 90 countries, the PYXERA Global team is passionate and dedicated to navigating challenges and pinpointing purposeful global engagement opportunities for its clients and partners. Initiatives include a wide range of services from local content development to global pro bono programs and integrated community development efforts that transform lives and livelihoods.
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Contact:
Katie Levey, Director of Media Relations
klevey@pyxeraglobal.org; 917.593.1989
