Anna Rosenberg, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at FSG, is currently on a research trip to Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. Here are her latest insights:

I am currently sitting on a plane bound for Uganda, gathering my thoughts and impressions of a busy week in Kenya.

Kenya’s business landscape is buzzing with activity – there is no doubt about it. The past two years have seen international companies set up their regional offices in the country to benefit from strong human capital and good infrastructure links.

Western, local and other emerging markets companies are all competing for market share of Kenya’s expanding consumer class. Kenya is therefore becoming an increasingly competitive place to do business. The pictures I took during my travels through the country speak for themselves:

Nakumatt, a Kenyan supermarket chain, sells a variety of local and international products:

Whether in Nairobi or in the countryside, one is bombarded with billboards advertising Huggies nappies, Nivea deodorants, Colgate toothpaste, Samsung electronics, Tusker beer, Johnny Walker whiskey, Coca Cola and Kentucky Fried Chicken, among many others:

On my way to the airport, I saw two workers put up the Porsche sign at the company’s new outlet in the industrial district, nearby other car retailers such as Toyota and Foton of China:

High rise apartment blocks and large villas are mushrooming throughout Kenya’s major towns:

Construction is everywhere. New roads and railways are being built, and the airport and port are expanding. The upsurge in infrastructure will make the distribution of goods in the country much easier:

For additional insight from Anna’s research trip in East Africa, be sure to read her earlier posts: Kenya – A Regional Trendsetter, Notes from the Field: Kenya, and Nairobi - African Cities Need Urban Planning.