The Africa Office

Africa’s rapid growth has captured the world’s imagination, triggering unprecedented business interest and investment.

As highlighted in “Lions on the move,” McKinsey Global Institute’s widely-acknowledged report on Africa’s economic prospects, the continent will profit from rising global demand for natural resources; boast a consumer market of 128 million households by 2020; and see its labour force top 1 billion people by 2040.

Across Africa, McKinsey is playing an active role in the continent’s economic rebirth, making a difference to both individual clients and entire countries. We have over 165 consultants working in the region; among them they represent over 39 nationalities and speak over 45 languages.

From our offices in Johannesburg, Lagos, Luanda, Casablanca and East Africa we have completed over 1,000 engagements over the past decade—in more than 30 countries, including: South Africa, Nigeria, Angola, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Namibia, Ethiopia, Ghana and Senegal. In addition, we have completed several hundred pan-African engagements.

Our work ranges from defining growth strategies for entire countries and key sectors such as oil and gas, financial services, and transport; to helping achieve step-change improvements in education and health; to designing a $500 million fund to channel finance to African farmers; to supporting major companies’ expansion into new markets. We serve many leading African players across sectors including energy and materials, financial services, consumer goods and retail, telecommunications, infrastructure and logistics, as well as the public and social sectors.

Our client work is underpinned by major knowledge investment, including our Africa Consumer Insight Centre.

We also play an important role in building capabilities and creating African leaders—both in our clients’ organisations and in our own. Our alumni hold senior roles in government, business and the social sector across the continent.

Casablanca

McKinsey’s Casablanca office opened in 2004. The Casablanca Office serves as a natural hub for our clients in North and Western Africa, while being fully integrated into the McKinsey & Company global network. Over the last couple of years, the Casablanca Office has been growing steadily in line withthe region pace, and working on the most important programmes in the region such as country strategies, transforming national champions into global leaders or achieving the Millenium Development Goals.

East Africa (Addis Ababa and Nairobi)

McKinsey’s East Africa offices opened in 2013. 2014 promises to be an exciting year for East Africa as we build our office. We are driving hard to develop our client base, people, reach and relevance. We are working in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda. We have 15 people across our two offices and have launched the Young

Leaders Programme (YLP) to bring in local talent.

Johannesburg

McKinsey’s Johannesburg office opened in 1995, soon after South Africa’s new democracy brought President Nelson Mandela to power. We have played an active role in the country’s transformation and development—helping top companies win on the world stage, supporting the upgrade of key institutions and infrastructure, and building leadership and capabilities. In South Africa and over 30 other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, we shape strategy and strengthen operations for players in major industries, and help deliver better outcomes in education and health care. We have over 300 consulting and non-consulting staff based in Johannesburg.

Lagos

McKinsey’s Lagos office opened in 2010. With a population of 170 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country with one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Since 2002, McKinsey has played an active part in driving this growth and accelerating development. Our team of highly qualified consultants from Nigeria and around the world, help government leaders reform key institutions, build skills, expand infrastructure, and shape the growth of major economic sectors. We support business leaders on their top strategic issues— from helping major Nigerian companies win as regional and global champions to working with multinationals in building high-impact African operations. We also work in many other countries in the region, thus contributing to the economic rebirth of Africa.

Luanda

Since 2007, McKinsey has played an active role in Angola’s reconstruction and modernisation, contributing to the country’s rapid development and to Africa’s economic rebirth. We support government in expanding key infrastructure and driving institutional reform, and we help international and Angolan companies play their part in the accelerated growth of the business sector. Our work spans multiple industries, including oil and gas, financial services, telecommunications, transport, and retail. McKinsey’s work in Angola is supported by consultants from our offices around the world, as well as a fast-growing cohort of Angolan nationals.

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