Events

Doing business in developing economies comes with numerous challenges that include scarce finance, poor infrastructure, poor leadership, weak governance and the lack of ethics. It is well known that the infrastructure sector is especially vulnerable to bribery risk. As an example, in many African countries there is the prevailing attitude and expectation that you cannot do business without making facilitation payments. Can this mindset be changed or is it the price of doing business within the environment? It can be expedient, especially for entrepreneurs struggling to get a foothold in the marketplace, to, “go along to get along” while turning a blind eye to the dishonest dealings that typically arise in daily business interactions for desired outcomes. Is there an opportunity to hold onto your values and, instead of it being a handicap, actually leverage it as an asset to accelerate your entrepreneurial successes given these environmental challenges? Igbuan Okaisabor shares insights on this conundrum from his lived experiences as an entrepreneur. He will share some anecdotes as well as established best practices for ensuring a business integrity culture and giving his organization a competitive advantage.