West African market expansion

A technology company with a proven model in one market was weighing expansion across several West African economies. Leadership needed a defensible basis for choosing where to go first — and how — rather than pursuing every market at once.

Which markets offer the strongest commercial expansion opportunity, and how should entry be sequenced?

1. 1Clarified the commercial decision and the criteria that would separate a strong market from a weak one.
2. 2Assessed each candidate market for demand, competition, regulation and unit economics.
3. 3Scored and ranked markets on commercial attractiveness against execution risk.
4. 4Stress-tested the assumptions behind the leading markets before recommending a sequence.

• Market sizing and demand drivers
• Competitive landscape and business-model comparison
• Regulatory and operating environment
• Unit economics and commercial assumptions
• Entry-mode options and execution risk

• Market-prioritisation framework comparing markets on attractiveness and risk
• Competitor map for each priority market
• Entry-mode analysis and recommended routes
• Phased expansion roadmap with sequencing rationale
• Executive summary for the leadership decision

• A small number of markets carried most of the near-term commercial opportunity.
• The most attractive market on demand was not the easiest to execute in — sequencing mattered as much as selection.
• A phased entry reduced early execution risk without giving up the larger prize.

Findings are described at the level of the conclusion reached, not confidential client specifics.