BUSINESS STRATEGY

Spanish-based agency acquires leading African comms consultancy

By our News Team | 2021

Africa Communications Media Group sells majority stake to Marco, which has a strong presence in North Africa.

Africa Communications Media Group (ACG), a leading communications consultancy operating in sub-Saharan Africa, has sold a majority stake of its business to Marco, a Spanish-based agency that has operated extensively in the Maghreb region.

Marco is expanding its communication capabilities across the African continent and ACG will be a part of that strategy.

ACG was founded by current CEO Mimi Kalinda, who hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, but has headquartered the business in Johannesburg.

The consultancy additional offices in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) and Nairobi (Kenya), as well as long-standing partners in Kigali (Rwanda), Harare (Zimbabwe) and Lagos (Nigeria). ACG clients have included the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Mercedes Benz, Bloomberg and Ethiopian Airlines.

Image by Truthseeker08 from Pixabay

Marco’s African base is in Casablanca

Marco has its African leadership base in Casablanca, Morocco, from where it has supported client communication needs in the Middle East and North Africa. In addition, Marco services well over 100 clients from its now 16 offices owned globally.

According to a joint statement by the two companies, Marco strongly believes that Africa is a continent on the move with a rich tapestry of cultures, languages and economies. The acquisition facilitates greater expansion to provide communications support to clients across the African continent.

“The top five economies in sub-Saharan Africa with the highest GDP – Nigeria ($514 bn), South Africa ($330 bn). Kenya ($106 bn), Ethiopia ($100 bn) and Ghana ($74 bn) – offer huge potential for expansion within the communications sector,” the statement says.

“Africa is often associated with mineral or fossil fuel production, but new sectors are rapidly emerging. Media and marketing communications were valued at over US10-billion in 2019. The tourism sector is also set to blossom with projections of 34.8% growth in 2022 that will fuel a strong demand to promote African countries – such as Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique – as top tourist destinations.”

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