Geoff's West Africa Business Trip

So in early November Geoff went to Senegal and Ivory Coast for a business trip. He spent 3 days in Dakar and 4 days in Abidjan visiting several clients with operations in West Africa. All in all it was a great trip and fantastic to be back in French-speaking Africa, but I completely forgot about how different that part of Africa is. West Africa is completely different than Southern Africa in so many ways it's unbelievable. But amongst the crazy markets and crowded streets of Dakar and Abidjan, there was a certain type of "organised chaos" about it and believe it or not, a certain type of peace to it all.


I think heading back to the "type" of Africa that I knew from Peace Corps this time in a suit and for business made me appreciate the entrepreneurial-spirit of West Africans. No one sits at home waiting for a job to come to them - if you don't have employment, you make it. Not too far from the Citibank office in Dakar, Senegal is a crowded market where literally you find women and men in the 100 degree streets selling everything single batteries and cigarettes and sugar cubes, pieces of chalk, bags of water and cooking oil, hangers, and even doorknobs. The point is, you have to admire the West Africa work ethic - you just get on with it to make some money, anyway possible - no excuses.

View from my hotel in Dakar, Senegal. Right near the beach.

Roadside market in Dakar. Anything you could think of
would be available at this little stand.

I had a driver (Claude) for 3 days in Dakar who was so nice. I made him slow down so I could take a picture of the many horse and cart type transport for those without cars.

Entering into Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Doesn't it just look hot?

The first night my team took me out to dinner on the water.
We had grilled Sole with onions and tomatoes and a few cold beers.

So cheap and so good...

Very bizarre to be driven around in a BMW
when outside people walked everywhere in the 100 degree heat.

I had the privilege to celebrate "Citi's Global Community Day" in Abidjan. Citibankers across the 100+ countries where we do business helped their communities in one form or another. The local Ivory Coast team donated chairs and tables and a TV to a local kindergarten. It was really nice to be a part of this. The above reads: "Citibank Humanitarian Day in partnership with the Mayor of Tiassale"

Even the band made a presence to welcome our gifts!

Check out the tents! We all had Citibank Ivory Coast shirts and had to all
sit and welcome the Mayor and school to receive our gifts.

Rich West African kids on their iPhones!

These were the kindergartners that benefited from the 5 tables, dozens of chairs and TV we gave them. Before their classrooms didn't have anything and the kids sat on the floor.

These were the "heads of the class" that officially accepted the gifts -
possibly the cutest kids in the world...

It was a great experience for me to head back to that part of Africa. It was a very good "business" trip but an even better reminder of why we fell in love with Africa.