Africa is Happening
Sometimes, changing the way we see something changes the way we think about it.
For generations, the conventional world map has understated the true size of Africa, making it appear smaller relative to lands farther from the equator. That perception is now changing. On 4 September 2026, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, passed by 164 votes to 1, that encourages the use of equal-area maps whenever relative size matters. Africa has always been vast; the new Equal Earth map is simply helping more people see its true scale. At over 30 million square kilometres, Africa is larger than the United States, China or Russia individually. In fact, the United States, China and India can all fit comfortably within it.
Africa is happening, and the world is waking up to its true scale, importance and potential.
For us, this is particularly relevant because we are right in the middle of it, ready to participate in and capture the opportunities this exciting continent offers.
Our Group’s leadership had the foresight to diversify within Africa rather than depend on a single country, region or industry. Today, we have a presence across West and East Africa and across diverse businesses, including paper and allied products, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, education and real estate. This diversification gives us balance and resilience. Different economies and industries move through different cycles; when one market faces headwinds, another may offer opportunity. It gives us the ability to weather the inevitable storms that come with operating on a dynamic and sometimes turbulent continent.
But having the opportunity is only the beginning. What we do with it will ultimately depend on our people, and on leadership at every level of our organisation.
A few thoughts on what leadership means to me:
- Leadership is a behaviour, not a position. You do not need a senior designation or a large team reporting to you to be a leader. Anyone who takes initiative, helps a colleague, solves a problem or steps forward when something needs to be done is demonstrating leadership.
- Think like an owner. Instead of saying, “This is not my job,” ask, “What can I do to make this better?” Ownership means treating the company’s money, customers, assets and reputation with the same care we would give our own. Whether the company is a large multinational or a family business, it provides your livelihood and provides for your family, and so you have a duty to protect it and take care of it. It is a sacred bond, like a rakhi, and it deserves that protection.
- Make others better. Good leaders do not try to make themselves indispensable. They share knowledge, develop people, delegate responsibility and create the next generation of leaders. A leader’s success should ultimately be measured by the success of the people around them.
- Have the courage to decide. Leadership does not mean every decision will be right. It means gathering the best information available, making a timely decision and taking responsibility for the outcome. And when we get something wrong, as we sometimes will, it means having the courage to acknowledge it, learn from it and make the necessary course correction.
- Small things matter. Leadership is demonstrated every day: keeping a promise, respecting people’s time, returning a call, appreciating good work, admitting mistakes. These small actions collectively create the culture of the organisation we work in. Small things matter.
- Move from blame to solutions. When things go wrong, asking “Who is responsible?” may sometimes be necessary. But the more important questions are “Why did this happen? What can we learn from it? How do we ensure it does not happen again?” Strong organisations build a culture of accountability and learning, not fear and blame.
- Move from problems to solutions. Senior management does not want to hear only about problems; it wants to hear whether you have a solution. It is important to recognise challenges, but we should not allow ourselves to be defined by them. The most valuable leadership response is to focus on what can be done, identify practical options, build alignment and take the next constructive step.
- Leadership matters most when times are difficult. It is relatively easy to lead when everything is going well. Real leadership becomes visible when markets turn, sales decline, customers are lost, projects run into difficulty or tough decisions must be made. These are the moments when people look to their leaders for calm, clarity, optimism and direction. Those moments reveal our leadership.
Africa will undoubtedly give us tremendous opportunities in the years ahead. It will also give us surprises, challenges and a few storms along the way. We have built a business with the breadth to navigate both. Now it is up to all of us to bring ownership and leadership to the work we do every day.
Sunil Jain,
Group CFO
