Kola Aina Says Africa Must Build Markets for More Consumers

What changed

Kola Aina, founding partner of Ventures Platform, said Africa’s prosperity depends on businesses enabling more people to consume products and services.

His argument puts underserved consumers at the centre of market-building, rather than treating them as an afterthought.

Why it matters

For founders and operators, the point is practical: growth may depend less on creating another product for people already well served and more on making useful products reachable to people existing markets overlook.

That is a demanding standard. It asks businesses to solve the access problem alongside the product problem. A company can have a strong idea and still fail to build a meaningful market if too few people can use or afford what it offers.

The broader implication is informed speculation, not a forecast: businesses that genuinely unlock consumption could help expand the markets they depend on. But the claim remains a principle, not a measurement. No specific sectors, companies, policies or markets were identified.