DO WE TRUST AFRICAN BRANDS ENOUGH TO BUY THEM, BACK THEM AND TAKE THEM GLOBAL?

WE SAY “BUY AFRICAN”, BUT DO WE REALLY TRUST AFRICAN BRANDS? What happens when we stop applauding African brands and start asking whether we are actually willing to buy them, back them and take them global? For this Mindset Reset, Rafiki Afrik brings together three different perspectives to interrogate a question we don't ask often enough: Is the challenge African brands, or is it the way we perceive, consume, finance and scale what we build? We sit down with Thayu Skincare, an African beauty brand building from Kenyan ingredients, lived realities and modern skincare science; an aesthetician, bringing the consumer and product-quality perspective; and a finance expert, challenging us to think beyond buying into the realities of capital, growth and scale. Because “Buy African” sounds good. But what happens when the African product costs more? When the packaging isn't what you're used to? When you have to choose between a local brand and an international one? When investors have to decide where the money goes? And when an African entrepreneur wants to take a successful local product beyond the continent? Do we trust African brands enough to put our money behind them? 🎙️ This is Friends From Afrika For Afrika, a Rafiki Afrik conversation. Join the conversation in the comments: #RafikiAfrik #FriendsFromAfrikaForAfrika #MindsetReset #BuyAfrican #AfricanBrands #MadeInAfrica #AfroOptimism #AfricanEntrepreneurship #AfricanBusiness #Skincare #Kenya