Believing that a project can be run the same way in Dakar, Abidjan, Nairobi or Lagos is the first mistake of large transformation programs in Africa.
After 20 years in the field, I am certain: trying to standardize management across the continent makes no sense.
A mosaic of realities
Behind the word "Africa" lies a mosaic of realities where, from one border to the next, everything changes:
- Relationship to authority: here people seek consensus and co-creation; there, clear hierarchy is needed to legitimize decisions.
- Communication: the weight of the unsaid, conflict management and negotiation codes vary radically from one country to another.
- The ecosystem: digital maturity and attitudes to risk differ deeply from one region to another.
Ingenuity and inventiveness are everywhere on the continent, but the levers to activate them are never the same.
A global framework, never a single mold
Success means refusing the one-size-fits-all model. It means designing a global strategic framework flexible enough to integrate local specifics. Respecting this diversity is one of the major keys to lasting transformation.
Program Management & Recovery
Executive steering of complex programs, PMO, recovery of troubled IT projects and IS modernization.
Fakhri Essedik
Founder of EDX Advisory
For more than 25 years, Fakhri Essedik has helped executive teams and CIOs steer major Digital, Data & AI programs across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.