Introduction: Relevance of Doing Business in Africa

In recent years, Africa has increasingly become the focus of attention for political decision-makers, managers, and management scholars. This diverse and multi-faceted continent consists of 54 countries, 49 of which make up Sub-Saharan Africa. The countries differ on many levels, such as geographic size and location (landlocked vs. sea access), demographics, economic size and dynamics, level of social development, degree of urbanization, and culture. There is often a tendency to emphasize the manifold challenges African countries face such as political instability, regulatory complexities, lack of skilled labor force, or infrastructural gaps. However, the challenging business conditions should not obscure the fact that Africa is one of the most dynamic regions of the world and has recently gained more attention from international companies for many interwoven reasons (Amankwah-Amoah et al., 2018; Boso et al., 2018; Mol et al., 2017).