Breakthrough Bottom of the Pyramid Business Strategies and Tactics That Work
“Poised to become a key reference, Entrepreneurial Solutions for Prosperity in BoP Markets will change the way we think, act, and teach about emerging markets. Kacou provides just the right blend of framework and hands-on examples to those committed to transforming the Bottom of the Pyramid.”
—Dean Thomas R. Robertson, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
“Kacou’s insight that many low-income countries are stuck in a Survival Trap whose solution lies in mindset change and entrepreneurship is a powerful one. Entrepreneurial Solutions for Prosperity in BoP Markets is a timely book that will influence development policy and business for years to come.”
—Dr. Donald Kaberuka, President, African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
“It is becoming increasingly clear that enterprise with moral purpose can be a solution to poverty. What was missing until now was a practical blueprint to make the potential of business in prosperity creation a reality. Eric Kacou, one of Africa’s emerging thought leaders, fills this important gap. This book is a must-read!”
—Dr. Manu Chandaria, Chairman, Comcraft; Founding Chairman, East African Business Council
“This book is a refreshing perspective on how business can transform Africa and the rest of the developing world. It offers practical wisdom for those who are serious about expanding prosperity in the developing world.”
—Professor Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development, Harvard Kennedy School
“Eric Kacou builds upon the ideas of Michael Porter, Larry Harrison, C.K. Prahalad, and many others. These are the eminent people we read not just because of what is
in their books, but because they wrote it. Now we will begin to study and comprehend Eric’s work.”
–From the foreword by Michael Fairbanks
Global business experts and other leaders tout the potential of Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) businesses to help impoverished societies escape poverty. Yet, many BoP firms are locked in “The Survival Trap” of managing short-term crises that keep them small, inefficient, and unprofitable. At the core of The Survival Trap are outdated mindsets perpetuating this vicious cycle. Author Eric Kacou identifies breakthrough mindsets, business models, and techniques that can help BoP businesses grow and help the communities and nations that depend on them create prosperity.
Drawing from real case studies and his on-the-ground experience in some of the world’s most challenging business environments around Africa, Kacou lays out a framework for overcoming The Survival Trap and the dependence, mistrust, and failure it breeds. To do this, he takes readers inside real case studies of entrepreneurs, firms, industries, and even countries. Featured is the Rwandan metamorphosis: the economic miracle that CNN’s Fareed Zakaria called Africa’s biggest success story.
- How mindsets shape the playing field–and how to reshape it
Transforming the mindsets of employees, investors, and the community
- Rwanda: from genocide to Africa’s entrepreneurial showcase
How Rwanda is making business work for everyone–and the practical lessons
- Collaborative clusters and prosperity ecosystems
Improving competitiveness by pooling the resources of businesses, leaders, and customers
About the Author
Born and raised in Cote d’Ivoire, Eric Kacou’s passion is enterprise solutions to poverty. Eric is actively engaged in consulting and investing across Africa. In 2010, Eric was honored by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader.
Eric Kacou is currently completing a Mason Fellowship in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to this fellowship, Eric served as Managing Director of OTF Group, a competitiveness consultancy focused on emerging markets. An expert in postconflict economic reconstruction, he led the Rwanda National Innovation and Competitiveness (RNIC) Program, an initiative sponsored by President Paul Kagame. The RNIC is credited with helping Rwanda revitalize its economy, fostering the renaissance of the country’s private sector, and fueling the growth of the country’s main exports.
At OTF Group, Eric served leaders of a dozen developing countries and consulted with international development partners.
Prior to joining the OTF Group, Eric worked a strategy consultant with Monitor Company in Toronto and Paris advising Fortune 500 executives. Eric earned his MBA at the Wharton School.
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