Peter Mehlape's “Winning in Africa” offers eight strategic moves for companies seeking sustainable growth across the continent.

Johannesburg, Tuesday, 21 October 2025 – Winning in Africa was born from author Peter Mehlape's experiences of doing business in 44 countries across the continent, during which time he gathered insights that he has now crafted into a practical guide detailing eight strategic moves companies can make for business success.

The moves outlined in the book, cover crucial aspects such as ensuring that everyone wins by creating shared value in Africa – the foundation for meaningful and sustainable business success.

Mehlape is the seventh of ten children and, as he interestingly revealed at his book launch, a certified midwife. He is also an accomplished business leader, holding an MBA from Bond University, a fellowship from the University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), and is a recent former board member of the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa.

“Winning in Africa is more than a personal milestone – it's a blueprint for succeeding on the continent,” says Mehlape. “Writing this book has been challenging. Refining decades of experience into a clear, actionable guide meant making tough choices about what to include and what to leave out.”

At the heart of Mehlape's book is the concept of shared value, ensuring that everyone in the community in which a company operates benefits from its presence. Winning in Africa is not a conventional playbook filled with competitive strategies, but rather a guide to bringing society along as your company grows – benefitting all through meaningful socio-economic contributions.

Mehlape sees this approach as essential when growing a business in Africa. “The African opportunity is not a trend; it is the unfolding global future. This is the moment to move beyond seeing a continent of 54 separate markets and to recognise a cohesive, young, and dynamic economic powerhouse whose potential requires not just investment, but a new, transformative blueprint for success.”

A key message throughout the book emphasises ensuring that everyone wins, which speaks directly to the concept of shared value in business operations. “Shared value is not philanthropy, not painting schools; it is solving real societal problems while making a profit,” Mehlape explains.

Expanding on this concept at the book launch, Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub emphasised that driving purpose is vital. “When you drive purpose, engage with governments, build relationships, and set up industry organisations, you're making a difference,” he says.

When companies work with governments to navigate challenges such as natural disasters, they earn a social license to operate, Joosub notes.

Doing what is best for Africa is paramount for Mehlape, who argues that American or Western European principles, products, and services aren't necessarily what is right or needed on the continent. “The way to win is to think carefully about what Africa needs and ensure that what you bring to the continent is a good fit.”

Mehlape adds that “you need devices that are, for example, virtual. Solutions that can be implemented anywhere, that are robust and durable, so that we can provide healthcare for example, even in places where people congregate under a tree.”

Professor Adrian Saville, who holds a professorship in economics, finance, and strategy at GIBS, agrees that technology must be “fit for purpose” for Africa.

Addressing the audience at the launch, Saville gave the example of a microscope developed specifically for African needs, which was “essentially pressed out of cardboard cut-outs the way that kids would assemble toys”. He notes it does exactly what the equivalent technology does in other markets at a much more reasonable cost point.”

For Mehlape, profitability alone is insufficient as he shows in his powerful book. “For any business to succeed in Africa, which is ripe with potential, it must be meaningful – focused not just on profit, but on people and solving their very real needs.”