FAMILY BUSINESS

Managing a Family Business in Africa

Managing a Family Business in Africa

Introduction

Family businesses are businesses that are owned or controlled by a family in Africa. They are found in almost every country. In industrialized countries family businesses make up 75 to 80 percent of businesses (Colli 2002, 11-23). In some African countries—Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, Sudan, and Kenya, this percentage rises to 80 to 85 percent. Family businesses are important not only because of their pervasiveness but also because of their contributions in terms of capital absorbed, employment generated, and sales and exports generated. For example, in Italy at the beginning ...