Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2023.2185792
A case study of corporate diversification and vertical integration in Africa
Jorge Fernández-Vidal
Reyes González
Jose Gasco
Juan Llopis
Abstract
Africa is home to some of the world’s most original, resilient, and
remarkable companies. The singular challenges and opportunities
of the continent’s economic environment have given rise to idiosyncratic
strategies and business models. However, there is a notable
absence of studies on African companies. While there are
numerous noteworthy companies in Africa, there are few as relevant,
successful, and influential as the Dangote Group. This paper
aims to add to the limited literature in the area by analyzing the
business model and strategic choices of Dangote Cement, the
Group’s flagship business and one of Africa’s industrial giants. In
particular, it explores its corporate diversification and vertical integration
strategies, which are at the core of its success. This article
is based on 7 interviews with internal and external Dangote stakeholders
and a detailed questionnaire completed by the Strategy
Department of the firm, together with public data of the company.
While the topics of diversification and integration have
been studied in multiple contexts, this article provides an original
perspective by applying existing research and management thinking
to the specific business environment of Africa. This paper
explores how and why Dangote Cement diversifies and how it
identifies and integrates the advantages and disadvantages of its
strategic choices. We believe it provides an original perspective
that furthers our limited collective understanding of and research
on strategic practices in Africa, the world’s last business academic
frontier.
Keywords
Corporate strategy; corporate diversification; vertical integration; African multinational; case study
Hrčak ID:
314052
URI
Publication date:
15.5.2023.
Visits: 386 *