The Association for African Owned Enterprises (AAOE) is a non-profit organization formed to serve as a representative for businesses owned, directed or serving the African community and individual professionals.

Founded in 2006, the AAOE has grown from strength to strength over the years and is seen as one of the leading organizations representing Africans in the UK.

ReConnect Africa spoke to Washington Kapapiro, Chairman of the AAOE, to learn more about the organisation and what it is aiming to achieve for Africans in the UK.

ReConnect Africa (RCA): What factors influenced the setting up of the AAOE?

Washington Kapapiro: The Association for African Owned Enterpriseswas born out of the need to have a voice for Africans in the UK. In 2004, I was trying to access business support from various government bodies and all the resources available did not take into consideration a first generation African without family support to help them get started in their business. And that was the situation I was in.

I received the same advice over and over again; to go and get friends and family to invest in my business. But all my friends and family were in Africa. I began to realise the lack of support available for my fellow Africans and when I decided to query the Government departments responsible for enterprise in the UK at the time, I realized there was no mouth-piece for African owned businesses, and the government simply thought I was crazy to approach them as an individual. Hence the birth of the AAOE. Today, we are the leading lobbying and representative group for African enterprise in the UK.

RCA: AAOE has been operating for almost 7 years - how would you define the organisation’s key objectives today?

Washington Kapapiro: Our key objectives have evolved over the years. Previously our primary focus was to help create a better environment for African entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses in the UK. We feel we succeeded in doing this and now our focus has evolved to a more global outlook.

We are now focusing on developing internationally recognizable African brands and we try to promote buying African products and services in the UK. Our key objective is to build “Brand Africa” in the UK through showcasing African success stories in the UK and creating platforms for African enterprises in the UK to speak out. We have grown to become the leading voice in Britain for African enterprise, but that has brought the added responsibility to try and encourage African companies to grow BIG; and we try and stimulate this growth through encouraging more collaboration and mergers amongst African entrepreneurs and companies.

RCA: How do you reach out to African businesses and professionals in the Diaspora?

Washington Kapapiro: We reach out to African businesses and professionalsthrough various platforms. We have an extensive mailing list that encompasses various sectors. From accountants to lawyers, from scholars and academics to laymen across the length and breadth of the country.

We have established a wide reach over the years and it continues to extend. We also reach out through effective partnerships with other African diaspora groups. We have agreements in place that allow us to disseminate information to our partners’ networks. We have strong relationships and partnerships with various media and press, including magazines, newspapers, TV stations and electronic publishers. We have an active web presence on various social media platforms that extends our reach internationally and finally we have a loyal “word of mouth” network that passes on our information from time to time.

We are continually forging new partnerships that extend our reach because we realize that our main strength is in our ability to reach and influence the widest African audience in the UK.

RCA: Can you highlight some of the benefits of membership of AAOE?

Washington Kapapiro: The primary benefit of membership of the AAOE is our networking. Through becoming a member of the AAOE, we keep our members informed of the leading networking opportunities that can help them grow their businesses. Meeting the right person can turn your situation around.

We have hosted events where some of our guests have included Royalty, Government Ministers and MPs, Heads of State, policy-makers and leading entrepreneurs. Many of these events were exclusively available only to our members, and many have gone on and built business relationships and grown their businesses as a result of meeting the right people. 

AAOE membership also allows you to access various affinity packages on offer to our members including business support, discounted business services including marketing, legal advice and business start-up support. We also offer preferential rates to our members to attend our events and training courses. Plus we will soon be publishing a preferred supplier database that will only feature fully vetted members’ businesses. These benefits help you increase profitability, save your business money over the duration of your membership with us and they help you access support you need to grow your enterprise, regardless of what level you are, from start-up to SME.

RCA: What are some of the perceptions that challenge your efforts to promote Africa as a business destination?

Washington Kapapiro: Misconceptions on doing business with Africanshave been the biggest challenge in our efforts to promote Africa as a business destination. We have met people who are entirely distrustful of Africans so it has formed a stumbling block to any potential business opportunities.

So many people previously thought ALL Africans offering business opportunities are fraudsters trying to con them of their money. I have met people who thought the only wealthy Africans are presidents or dictators who have robbed the countries of wealth or elusive oil barons who have kept wealth for themselves.

But through showcasing some of the successful African business stories out there, we have started to make a change in the hearts and minds of people.

We are now trying to re-paint the image of Africa through our Global Africa Initiative. Through increasing visibility of “Brand Africa”, we can continue changing perceptions of Africa as a business destination and increase trust in Africans. Having a second generation African as president of the USA has certainly helped. But we need to bring more stories to the mainstream and show that Africa is not all about pleading for charitable donations and 419 fraudsters. Instead, Africa is affluent and self-sufficient and open for business with the right partners looking for profitable returns.

RCA: What are some of the initiatives and projects that AAOE is involved with?

Washington Kapapiro: The AAOE is engaged in various programs at the momentthrough working with various partners. Our primary initiative is our Global Africa Initiative.

We believe that if Africa is to realise her potential to become an economic powerhouse, we need to see the emergence of more internationally recognizable African brands. To this end we are encouraging bilateral movement between Africa and the UK. We want to see African Diaspora return and set up businesses in Africa and similarly, we want to see Africans come and establish their businesses here in the UK.

We have seen several companies open operational offices in the UK and expand their business through tapping into the African diaspora. The reason why this has not previously been attractive is because there were inaccurate numbers of how many Africans there are in the UK. We now know that there are well over 5.5 MILLION Africans in the UK and that is a sizable market worth tapping into for real growth. We are positioned to help any company set-up their operations in the UK and begin to service both the African diaspora and the indigenous UK market.

We remain committed to previous initiatives including our work to promote African Women in Business. This year will also see our work to promote the African and Caribbean Media Industry in the UK through our Meet the Media campaign. We believe that Africans businesses need to support our media houses through paying to advertise in their publications and subsequently grow their own businesses through reaching wider audiences. It’s a win-win for both parties.

RCA: What are your future plans for the organisation and for getting your message out to a wider audience?

Washington Kapapiro: The future for the AAOE is simple: to stand the test of time.We pride ourselves on having lasted as long as we have against all odds. We have seen many representative organizations come and go in our short existence and we are determined to stay active for the foreseeable future.

So our primary plan is to stay alive. The way we intend on staying alive is to continue to do our work. We plan to continue building fruitful partnerships and relationships that help to grow African enterprise in the UK and internationally.

We plan to continue to host events that create audible platforms where our voice can be heard. We plan to continue supporting our various industries and help them become more profitable.

Our true plan is to help more Africans grow their businesses and if we succeed in doing this, we will survive as an organization. Our survival is our primary concern because historically Africans have not habitually joined or supported organizations like the AAOE. We operate in a space where previously people took it for granted that someone will help them through creating useful policies.

But as more people learn more about our work and its significance and relevance for them, we hope that more people will see the need to have representation here in the UK. Our embassies and high commissions don’t look out for our interests as citizens of the UK unfortunately. So it is down to the AAOE and similar organizations to lobby for our interests as a community in the UK

RCA: What advice can you offer to potential entrepreneurs and professionals from the Diaspora when it comes to operating in Africa?

Washington Kapapiro: My advice to anyone thinking of operating in Africa is to keep it SIMPLE. Too many people try to over-complicate their business strategies for the African markets. Success has always come to those who have kept their ideas simple and useful.

Keep your services and products relevant to what people need and already understand and shy away from ideas where people will need to first be convinced of the need for your services or products. This, coupled with thorough research of your target market and identifying the right partners, will ensure your success in Africa.

Many people fail to conduct ground-level research and instead try to enter Africa with a lot of theoretical knowledge. That has often proved a recipe for failure within Africa. Keep it simple and know your market and make sure you have the right partners on board who know the lay of the land. If these rules are followed, you will not be restricted to only setting up a business in your home country. You will be able to set up your business in any African country because these rules apply across the continent. Simply keep it Simple.

I wish all your readers continued success in all their enterprises.