June 2023

In one of our busiest months ever, we have heard a range of exciting stories from across diverse industry sectors. The ending in each is that strong businesses decimated by Covid-19 lockdowns have established new strategies to regain, rebuild, and repair.

With the economy in sub-Saharan Africa shrinking by 3.3% in 2020, the challenge has been too much for some. Thousands of companies closed their doors in South Africa alone, and those that survived have needed strict revival strategies.

So far, those strategies have yielded greens shoots and many are becoming more ambitious, finding opportunities in the crisis.

At Airports Company South Africa – a company hard hit by total market collapse – a turnaround strategy is taking off. Investing in connections between national and regional airports, and ensuring air travel drives economic prosperity, is high on the agenda for the SOC. Numbers are picking up and, in Durban, there are good things happening as international airlines are attracted to sunny KZN once again.

For Xenia Pharmaceutical, a leading manufacturer of pet and animal health products, the boom in pet ownership that occurred during lockdown has allowed for substantial growth with the company now eyeing continental expansion as a recognised, world-class facility.

Nomad Africa Tours & Safaris, another heavily blighted by the tourism slowdown, is starting to prepare for an uptick in business after its highly reputable and ethical brand name helped it to ride out the Covid storm and capture the early resurgence of the industry.

In Stellenbosch, at the Paymenow HQ, Bryan Habana – CCO at the young fintech business – explains that the Covid pandemic impacted people’s ability to access liquidity, and the dangerous payday loan industry thrived. Now, his company is giving people their dignity back with a streamlined, secure, reliable, and professional financial wellness offering.

Going forward, the Covid story will continue to shape business strategy, and there will be more casualties, but those who seek new opportunities will no doubt avoid negativity.

Get in touch and tell us what your company has been doing differently to make things work in the new environment. We’re on LinkedIn.