Information and Messaging – The Key to Business Growth and Opportunities;
The example of Africa
The View from Washington Series
Renee Horne, Washington DC 4th April 2011
K Street in Washington DC is the land of think tanks, lobbyists and advocacy groups all battling it out to shape US decision making. It's all about the messaging and information that potentially will get you what you want, “The plethora of think tanks, of interest groups and lobbyists, you can wander up and down on K street and you notice groups that represent individuals, corporations, citizen groups of every sort and type. In a way you can find a lobbyist to fit your budget. They do effect policy and there is mass participation. In policy some of these lobbyists can organise campaigns, organise hundreds of thousands of citizens so they are not for hire exclusively, but open to all”, that’s the word from Dr J. Peter Pham, who was Senator John McCain’s Chief Advisor on Africa and also was a Senior Vice President of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. Pham, currently the Director of the Michael S Ansari Africa Center at the Atlantic Council asks some fundamental questions: Why Asia and the Middle East have gained the attention of American Business and why Africa is not making leeway? “It’s all about the right message and information” said Pham.
Over the next few weeks the World Entrepreneur Society (WES) will bring you, “The View from Washington Series” providing special reports from experts in the capital covering a range of issues, from “Is Africa corrupt?” “SMME’s in the US” and “Thoughts on Libya”. This week, the WES focus is on why information and messaging is key if you want to attract US business.
The Lobby of the Diaspora
According to Pham, foreign and commercial policy is driven by a diaspora. “Why is it that America in the last decade, out of nowhere, embraced India strategically, as its partner, part of it being geopolitical and real politik considerations but part of it also is the growing of the Indian American community that has now found its voice? In fact , Walt makes this analysis - that the third most powerful lobby in Washington is the Indian American community, after the Jewish American, and next, the Armenians that have undoubtedly shaped our relationship”. So could it be that the African American Diaspora is ineffective in their lobbying? Pham argues, “There is a growing number of African Americans and the diaspora have not found their political voice and they don’t exercise their rights (except in a couple of areas). There is no metropolitan area where there is a large concentration of Indian Americans, but they do have such a voice because they organise themselves”.
Inform US Business and they will get the message. “There is a lack of information, not just policy opportunities for growth and investing in Africa. Africa does not sell itself, it doesn’t attract the attention of American business the way it ought to. For example, if you pick up the American edition of Foreign Affairs or something similar you will see supplements that countries take out for ads. It is telling a story; for example an ad comes from one of the Asian countries it illustrates the business climate, not that someone’s going to get on a plane and open up a factory immediately, but over time that image sets in. You look at an ad for an African country (which is rare) and half of it is consumed with praise singing of his excellency the president, and then a third a message from the minister of economics, you still have not got to the point of why should you do business there”.
What Message should be sent?
Pham speaks candidly, that Africa rarely promotes itself; even in the US there is virtually no trade counsellors that can get the message across of why the US should do business in Africa. All the messages that one gets is that if you going to Africa be sure to take a series of pills to fight off disease and a warning to beware of the conflict areas on the continent. But what about the Middle East, volatile in many parts - but US business is always knocking on their door? “One is because of the oil and the other is the messaging given by the Middle East to counter the bad publicity. If you look at almost every other issue of Foreign Affairs, there are even places that you know for a fact that there are problems there, but they will be running ads about development parks etc. Another issue is that most African countries have virtually no trade counsellors in the US. The African Union, has one at the level of an Ambassador here, but what is it that they do other than invite people to 'Africa Day' once a year.
To be quite honest I am an Africa specialist but I am not quite sure what they do in this town. For example one of the most powerful voices in this town is the US chamber of commerce and other business lobbyists. They have a powerful voice, they may not win at times but their presence is known. In addition to this, Africa, especially in democratic states you have fairly robust trade unions, the business community tends to not be united, other than the annual Christmas philanthropy there is no voice “. So amid all the Pham candour, what must Africa do to step up its game to get attention from the US corporates? “Information on Africa is very difficult to come by. I have always thought that a business that would succeed is, if someone could develop a cost effective model on information about potential businesses in Africa”. So the call here is for African entrepreneurs to become united and give positive messages and information about business in Africa, not their leaders or political masters. Stay tuned for next week’s report from the “The view from Washington series”.