Ornico and GIBS launch custom business magazine called Open Africa - Ornico

Open Africa — a free-to-download must-read for CEOs, business owners, brand leaders and anyone in the communications field who manage brands in Africa, was launched by Brand Intelligence company, Ornico, in partnership with The Gordon Institute of Business Science [GIBS].Close on 200 pages long, the annual digital magazine contains frank interviews, advice, and thought-leadership with captains of industry in Africa. These decision makers in the field of technology, communications, entertainment, finance and advertising not only tell their stories but offer candid insights about doing business on the continent.The business leaders featured in Open Africa include iROKOtv’s Jason Njoku; Nunu Ntshingila-Njeke, Head of Africa for Facebook; Google’s Luke Mckend; Jarred Cinman of NativeVML; Peter Allerstorfer, the founder of Silvertree Investment Holdings; M&C Saatchi Abel’s founder, Mike Abel; Hollard International CEO, Brooks Mparutsa; Pepe Marais of Joe Public, Chris Botha of The Media Shop and Zibusiso Mkhwanazi of AVATAR. “What we are doing with Open Africa is to enable African brand and business leaders to tell their own stories about their own experiences on the continent,” said Oresti Patricios, CEO of Ornico, who added that Africa’s narrative had been hijacked by outsiders and offshore media for too long. “We need to tell our own stories,” Patricios said at the launch.“In little over a decade, the story written about Africa by those outside of the continent has gone from one of bust to boom, and back again,” he says. “Thankfully, there’s now a new understanding of just how nuanced and diverse markets on this continent are. Africa is not a country, and successfully engaging growth opportunities means understanding each market on its own terms,” the CEO of Ornico said.The digital magazine is available free to download at www.ornico.co.za. MarkLives.com, Open Africa’s media partner, will be running stories from the magazine on its site for months to come. Some of the features in Open Africa include:

The Movie Mogul — Jason Njoku, has reinvented Nollywood, making millions.

Mobile Unleashes Africa’s Small Businesses, by Nunu Ntshingila, Head of Africa for Facebook.

Growth: More To It Than You Might Think — An interview with Hollard International CEO Brooks Mparutsa.

Africa 4.0 by Oresti Patricios - Can Africa use the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution to leapfrog into a position of technological superiority? Ornico’s CEO, Patricios, investigates.

Benchmarking Africa’s Progress and Potential, by Lyal White of the GIBS Centre for Dynamic Markets, writes on moving beyond GDP to what’s really important for growth in Africa

5 Strategic Leadership Challenges For Africa, by Marius Oosthuizen of GIBS.The leadership challenges that face the decision makers who want this continent to grow.

Nigeria — A complex, difficult, but top market, by Dianna Games. Despite its challenges, Nigeria is a top emerging market destination for investment.

Google To Train One Million Africans. Luke Mckend, Google SA Country Director, on why it is important for Africans to be not just digitally literate, but digitally proficient.

Looking for the Win-win. Yogavelli Nambiar, who leads the Enterprise Development Academy at GIBS, says SA growth could lie in bridging the gap between those businesses that fail, and those that succeed.

IoT Enabling Africa, a Q&A with Kees Snijders of Flickswitch on the Internet of Things.

Mining for Prosperity, a Q&A with Boris Kamstra of Alphamin about mining in war-torn Bisie, in the DRC

Inclusive Growth for Africa, by Wim van der Beek. Development that is realised by creating opportunities for low-income segments to generate income and become self-sustainable.

Technology, Africa’s Silver Lining — Peter Allerstorfer, founder of Silvertree Investment Holdings talks about the investment potential of ICT in Africa.

Ready, Willing and Abel — M&C Saatchi Abel’s founder, Mike Abel, talks about building an international agency from the ground up

Work with a purpose — Respected maverick, Jarred Cinman of NativeVML speaks to Open Africa about putting the customer at the front and centre of marketing.

Chris Botha — Managing Media in a Changing World. Botha shares his insights with Open Africa and gives an overview of the shifting media landscape, as he sees it, in the near future.

Pepe Marais — Man of Substance. Open Africa speaks to the Founding Partner of Joe Public United about work, life and making a difference.

Digital Present, Integrated Future. Zibusiso Mkhwanazi, of AVATAR, talks about how technology will play a role in future African growth.

Straddling Two Worlds, by Wole Olaoye. The Chairman of a PR firm in Abuja, Nigeria, Olaoye looks back on his journey from Journalism to Public Relations.

Understanding Migrating Multinationals, by Helena Barnard who maps the intricacies of enterprises that cross borders.

Growth by Sustainable Inclusion, by Kentice Tikolo.

PR Measurement in Africa — The Opportunity is NOW, by Francois van Dyk of Ornico.

Taking Africa’s Tech To The World, by Jessica Hope of Wimbart.

Why everyone should learn how to write, by Andrew Miller.

Keeping the hyenas at bay. A Q&A with Schalk Nolte, CEO of Entersekt on security in ecommerce, and risks of reputational damage.

What People Buy online by Onyeka Onianwa.The five factors that influence buying behaviour online

Five things to know when hiring digital marketing services, by Ernest A. Ehigie.

Tseliso Monaheng’s Life In Pictures. A photographic feature by one of SA’s up-and-coming photographers.

The speakers agreed on the significance of context in understanding local markets by country and not treating each country based on findings by analysts who are not embedded in the culture of African countries. In answering the question of how they handle the perceived lack of the respect of law in the DRC, Boris Kamstra – CEO of Alphamin Resources – says “the rule of law is actually respected a lot on the ground in the DRC”.International CEO of Hollard, Brooks Mparutsa also added that business cannot have a cookie cutter approach in dealing with the rest of Africa. “Innovation in markets can only truly be done in-country by people who are truly embedded in the culture and country” added Mr Mparutsa when sharing some of their lessons from various African markets.Download the Open Africa digital publication here: http://bit.ly/open_africaShare your feedback using #OpenAfricaMag on Twitter and Facebook.Business leaders and agency owners keen to share stories and insights in the next edition of Open Africa are encouraged to email Ornico’s Marketing Manager, Mongezi Mtati at az.oc.puorgocinro@mizegnom or to connect with Alexis Petje, Ornico’s Sales Manager at az.oc.puorgocinro@PsixelA