Author: Victoria Thomas

How Nollywood’s Script Pipeline Solves a Production Problem Lagos Ad Agencies Still Struggle With Walk into a production office in Surulere or Festac and you will find something that looks like chaos but runs like a system. A producer — often the same person who arranged the financing, hired the director, and will manage post-production… Continue reading How Nollywood’s Script Pipeline Solves a Production Problem Lagos Ad Agencies Still Struggle With

Walk into any boardroom in Lagos, Nairobi, or Johannesburg and you’ll hear the same grumble: taxes are too high. It’s a fair complaint. Corporate income tax, VAT, and a dozen other levies chip away at margins. But sit down with the people who actually sign off on multi-year capital projects, and the conversation shifts. They… Continue reading Why Regulatory Whiplash Scares Business More Than a 5% Tax Hike

The Real Cost of Doing Business Isn’t on Your Tax Bill Walk into any boardroom in Lagos, Nairobi, or Johannesburg, and you’ll hear the same refrain: “What’s our effective tax rate?” It’s the first question after a budget speech, the number that gets analysts scribbling and CFOs sweating. But here’s the thing—it’s the wrong question.… Continue reading Regulatory Whiplash Will Break Your Business Faster Than Any Tax Hike

Ask a roomful of business leaders what keeps them up at night, and tax rates will come up. They always do. But push a little harder, maybe over a drink rather than in a boardroom, and the real answer spills out. It’s not the 30% corporate tax that scares them. It’s waking up to a… Continue reading Why Regulatory Whiplash Hurts More Than High Taxes: A Business Strategy Reality Check

The Real Cost of Doing Business: It’s Not What You Think Ask any business owner in Lagos, Nairobi, or Accra what keeps them up at night, and you’ll rarely hear complaints about the headline corporate tax rate. Instead, you’ll get stories. A sudden ban on a key import that leaves containers stranded at the port.… Continue reading Regulatory Whiplash Hurts Business More Than High Taxes

Ask a room full of investors what keeps them awake, and you might expect to hear about corporate tax rates. A 5% hike is a clean, measurable hit to the bottom line. But in many African markets, the real nightmare isn’t the tax man’s bill. It’s waking up to a new directive that bans your… Continue reading Regulatory Whiplash: Why Businesses Fear Policy Swings More Than High Taxes

Ask a roomful of executives what keeps them up at night, and you’ll hear a lot about tax rates. That’s the easy answer—the one that fits neatly into a spreadsheet cell. But if you get them talking off the record, a different fear surfaces. It’s the midnight policy shift. The import ban that lands without… Continue reading Why Regulatory Whiplash Hurts Business More Than High Taxes

When executives scan the horizon for threats, tax rates usually grab the headline. A two-point shift in corporate income tax can eat up weeks of boardroom debate. But after years of working with companies across the continent, I’ve seen a quieter, more corrosive force at work: regulatory uncertainty. It’s the fog that blurs the road… Continue reading Why Regulatory Fog, Not Tax Rates, Keeps Business Leaders Awake at Night

Ask a roomful of CEOs what keeps them awake, and the corporate tax rate rarely makes the list. In markets like Lagos, Nairobi, or Accra, the real nightmare is waking up to a policy circular that upends your supply chain, freezes your bank accounts, or rewrites the rules for your entire sector overnight. A tax… Continue reading Why Shifting Rules Hurt Business More Than High Taxes

Ask a roomful of executives what keeps them up at night, and you’ll hear a lot about tax rates. The logic feels solid: a bigger slice of profit going to the government means less left over for shareholders. But after years of watching companies navigate tricky markets, I’ve come to a different conclusion. The real… Continue reading Why Regulatory Whiplash Hurts More Than a Tax Hike