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Africa is home to over 20 megachurches, each drawing 10 million+ worshippers, 30% of the world’s Christians, and 22% of the world’s Muslims. Faith isn’t just a belief here; it’s a way of life.

Sometimes we see too much of the hand of divinity in incompetence.
Or we naively attribute to the divine the incompetence of man.

Last week, I was scheduled to travel to Zimbabwe on a 5 p.m. bus. Got to the station, boarded on time, and settled in. Everything looked on track until the clock struck five.

Instead of moving, the bus staff began doing what has somehow become a cultural ritual, stalling.

“Just five more minutes,” they said.

Another passenger was supposedly on the way.

Five minutes became ten. Ten became thirty, then hours.

I got off to complain, politely at first, but each time, I was met with scripture.

“The hand of God is at work,” one of them told me.

“Don’t worry, Sir. Maybe God is preventing us from an accident.”

To them, divine intervention had suddenly become a convenient justification for delay, inefficiency, and poor service.

Instead of 5 p.m., we set off at 10 p.m.

God wanted us to be late.

And just like that, faith was made to do the heavy lifting for failure.

Now, I am a man of faith. But I am no zealot. I believe in prayer, yes, but I also believe in preparation, professionalism, and performance.

Faith is not a problem. But problems arise when faith becomes an excuse for mediocrity.

What I witnessed that day is a deep-seated cultural issue. Across Africa, and in many parts of the world, we’ve allowed faith to substitute for systems.

We explain inefficiency as God’s timing.
We excuse mistakes as divine will.
We baptise bad management in holy water and call it fate.

It’s a mindset that’s comforting yet crippling.

Because once you start believing that divine intervention excuses poor execution, accountability disappears.

And when accountability disappears, excellence dies.

True faith demands responsibility. If you believe God has blessed you with a business, then you have an obligation to run it with integrity and diligence.

Every entrepreneur faces challenges, delays, shortages, and unexpected events. Those are part of the game. But how you respond to them determines whether your business grows or dies.

The transport company could have been honest:

“We are waiting for more passengers so we can cover our costs.”

Or they could have planned better and enforced a clear policy:

“Bus leaves at 5 p.m., no matter how many passengers are onboard.”

Instead, they chose to hide behind religion, an emotional shield that made the customer feel guilty for expecting professionalism.

Excuses are a virus. They infect your brand, erode customer trust, and foster complacency within your team.

Faith is not a currency.
Neither is it a strategy.

Customers don’t pay for your beliefs. They pay for your delivery.

What can we learn from this?

Customers are not the enemy. Don’t call them impatient for expecting what they paid for. They are the reason your business exists.

One of Africa’s biggest entrepreneurial challenges is a lack of systems.
We depend too much on personalities and not enough on processes.

A bus company that depends on prayer to avoid accidents should also depend on maintenance schedules, driver training, and punctuality.

Faith without structure is superstition.

There’s a place for faith in business. It can inspire ethics, resilience, and compassion.
But faith should guide how you treat people, not how you avoid accountability.

If you sell a loaf of bread, deliver it fresh.
If you promise a 5 p.m. bus, leave at 5.

Decide what excellence looks like in your business and enforce it.
If the bus leaves at 5 p.m., make it a sacred rule.
If you promise next-day delivery, make it happen or communicate early.

Faith isn’t passive. It’s an active commitment.
Believe, but also build, plan, measure, and deliver.
God blesses diligence, not chaos.

If you lead a team, teach them to take ownership, not hide behind excuses.
Reward honesty, not justification.
When people admit mistakes, they learn. When they justify them, they repeat them.

Customers are not congregants. They are partners in a value exchange.
They trust you to deliver, not to preach.

If they pay for a seat on a 5 p.m. bus, you owe them punctuality more than scripture.

Many African entrepreneurs operate in challenging environments, including corruption, inflation, unstable power, and bureaucracy.

It’s easy to become fatalistic.

You hear people dejectedly resign:

“Things will change when God decides.”

“If it’s meant to be, it will be.”

But we were never meant to outsource responsibility to heaven. We were meant to co-create. To build, innovate, and improve the world around us.

It might end up looking like people pray too much when the flaw is that they plan and act too little.

I am deeply bothered by the mindset that allows quiet acceptance of mediocrity as divine.

And I can’t help but wonder how many businesses die slowly because their owners spiritualize failure?

How many opportunities are missed because we choose to wait for a sign?

Faith is powerful, but misplaced faith can be paralysing.

The hand of divinity doesn’t cover up incompetence. It empowers diligence.
God doesn’t bless excuses. He blesses execution.

So the next time your business falls short, don’t hide behind heaven.
Roll up your sleeves, fix the system, and deliver with excellence.

Let’s imagine that every delayed bus, late delivery, or broken promise is “God’s plan.”

Now scale that mindset to an entire economy.

What happens?

In 2013, Zambia held a National Day of Prayer seeking divine intervention for its struggling economy and weakening currency.

Liberia once called for nationwide prayers to ease economic hardships.

South Africa urged citizens to pray as the country faced severe water shortages.

Malawi and Zimbabwe, too, have followed suit with national days of prayer in moments of difficulty.

We are on the precipice of tragedy. Not because we believe in God.

But because we use God to justify human error, maladministration and corruption.

The cost of this thinking is catastrophic. We lose hours, money, trust, and credibility, all in the name of misplaced faith.

Faith and business can and should coexist.

Faith gives entrepreneurs courage when logic says “quit.”
It gives hope in hard times.
It gives purpose beyond profit.

But for faith to serve your business, it must discipline you, not excuse you.

When you truly believe your business is a calling, you’ll show up with excellence. You’ll treat customers as sacred. You’ll make punctuality a norm.

Before you pray for one more customer, learn to serve the existing customers better. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

This week, identify one area in your business where you’ve been making excuses.
Maybe it’s missed deadlines, poor communication, or inconsistent service.

Fix it.
Document it.
Systematise it.

Then thank God, not for saving you from mistakes, but for giving you the wisdom to correct them.

This easy-to-use application turns everyone into a great marketer. Qlutch.com helps you to organise your strategy, campaign, goals and metrics so that you can achieve the repeat results you need from every marketing campaign you invest time and resources into.

How this tool enables entrepreneurs:

Which African bank, currently the continent’s largest by assets, was named Africa’s Most Valuable Banking Brand for 2025?

🟩 A) Absa Group
🟨 B) Standard Bank
🟦 C) FirstRand Bank
🟥 D) Ecobank

(Answer: B — Standard Bank)

Save Money Religiously

“I am a firm believer in saving a portion of your earnings every month. My father used to say that if I couldn’t save one naira from the little I earned, then I won’t be able to save anything if I earned one billion. Saving is a vital tool in investing in your future.”

Work Hard

“The difference between talent and hard work is that one is innate and the other can be acquired through sheer determination. Those who are relentless in the pursuit of excellence will always yield results. Growing up, my mother was extremely hardworking and through running her businesses, she taught me the power of resilience.”

Seize Opportunities

“Be aware of your risk tolerance and weigh up the value of an opportunity according to the potential losses and gains. After assessment- act! Do not be afraid to take a step because you fear the outcome. As the saying goes, fortune favours the bold.”

Feed Your Mind

“In the pursuit of success, arm yourself with people and things that will nourish you mentally. I was always an avid reader, and would seek business and self-development books, articles and papers that would challenge my thinking and allow me to gain insight and breed new ideas.”

Think Long Term

“In all that you do, consider the bigger picture. How will this impact me, my family and community? Both now and 10 years from now. Be broad in your thinking and, whether personally or professionally, aim for longevity.”

Invest time and effort in people before you need their help, and you'll find that they are more willing to assist you when the time comes.

Application Deadline: 7 November 2025.

Applications are now open for the 2026 Anzisha Prize Fellowship Program.

Anzisha is Africa’s biggest award for its youngest entrepreneurs aged 15 – 22 years, and hands out over USD $140,000 every year in business support and prize money to very young entrepreneurs from all over the continent.

By applying to Anzisha, you stand a chance to win a share of grand cash prizes valued over $50 000 and business support for your business.

Visit the Official Webpage of the Anzisha Prize Fellowship Program

Afrofact

Africa is one of the most religious continents, with 95% of its people identifying with a faith. Yet, it’s also one of the most politically corrupt regions, with 9 in 10 African countries ranked in the bottom half of global transparency indexes.

Cross-selling is a smart growth strategy where you encourage customers to buy complementary products or services alongside what they already purchase.

It boosts revenue without needing new customers, deepens customer relationships, and increases brand loyalty.

One who sets a trap in burnt veld should be prepared to have his backside soiled.

One who has decided to carry out a difficult task must not be deterred by any inconvenience or by what people might say. Similarly, one must be prepared to face the consequences of one's actions.

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