Business Case Studies & Business Publications

ETG: Connecting Africa to the World

Karna, Amit, Tiwar...

Case

ETG: Connecting Africa to the World

Karna, Amit; Tiwari, Aarushi

IIMA-STR0468 | Published November 11, 2022 | 24 pages Case

Collection: Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad

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Learning Objectives

What started as a FMCG distributor in 1967 in Kenya as Export Finance Company, is now a dynamic global conglomerate across 48 countries and 5 continents - Export Trading Group. ETG was taken over by the then CFO Mahesh Patel after exit of the founding stakeholders. It was then when the company shifted its focus to being a key regional player. In the next 35 years, the company grew systematically. Business focus evolved when Patel saw an opportunity in logistics in remote sub-Saharan Africa. This was followed by business expansion with supply chain diversification and significant infrastructure investments. All the different businesses amalgamated under a single group for better operations and ease of scaling up. They were later divided into six separate verticals for better management. Vamara (FMCG vertical) was launched in 2018 as the company moved towards digitalisation - externally and internally. ETG plans to focus on new business opportunities and continue to diversify across geographies and portfolios.

This case is useful in explaining the business strategy concepts using the evolution of a trading firm. It provides a good concept on how to make choices that align with the company's mission, vision and strategy.