Post by ttiepod

What happens when two young professionals meet in the UK, share a passion for driving economic growth back home, and actually pack their bags to make it happen? During the Angola Means Business 3rd edition at ExpoGarden in Luanda, ttiepod sat down with Thomas Gerrard Reis, Director of JegeReis, to discuss the realities of international trade, supply chain logistics, and market diversification within Africa. Thomas shares an incredible entrepreneurial journey that moves past the standard corporate narrative. After leaving university in London, he went straight into the Angolan bush, spending years understanding the local terrain, working in mining exploration, navigating the operational realities of the region and then brining in his business partner Solape U. Godswill Jegede to create impact.  𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲:  • 𝙄𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙃𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚: How JegeReis reestablished an export market by identifying industrial and agricultural byproducts (like excess maize bran) and connecting them to high-demand neighbouring markets in Namibia and South Africa.  • 𝘼𝙜𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: Transitioning from agricultural commodities into a one-stop-shop drilling and logistics solution to support Angola's current mining exploration boom.  • 𝙏𝙝𝙚 "𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙" 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚: Why firsthand knowledge of rural infrastructure, local bridges, and regional lead times is the ultimate competitive edge in African logistics.  • 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙩: Managing operations across a dual Angolan-Nigerian partnership, bridging local expertise with global entities in the UK and Dubai. The conversation closes out with a tough question facing modern boards: If you had to hedge your bets on the next major market moves, would you back the global tech of a SpaceX IPO, or the regional powerhouse of the Dangote Petroleum & Petrochemicals IPO?

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