Nigeria’s opportunity is not difficult to see.
The country has scale, talent, entrepreneurial energy, natural resources, and enormous unmet demand. The harder question is how that opportunity can be converted into a sustainable and profitable business.
I spent several years in Lagos as CEO and Board Member of Dizengoff W.A. Nigeria Ltd., leading a business with more than 100 employees and an annual revenue of approximately USD 40 million.
During that period, we turned substantial losses into profit, doubled sales within three years, and launched CASE IH tractors into the Nigerian market. The brand rapidly achieved a leading position, supported by distribution, after-sales service, spare-parts availability, and customer support.
Those results did not come because Nigeria was an easy place to do business. They came because the opportunity was real, we had capable local employees and strong customer relationships, and we were prepared to solve problems rather than simply describe them.
