Welcome to African Hustle! Your bi-weekly dose of inspiration and smart insights into African entrepreneurship — featuring real stories about tech, culture, startups, founders, and innovations shaping the future of the continent.
Did You Know
Africa is home to about 55% of global cobalt reserves.
And the world is building batteries, in which cobalt is a critical metal.
When it comes to the highest-value stages in the cobalt value chain, much of the money is made outside the continent.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) alone held about 6 million tonnes of cobalt reserves in 2025, roughly half of the world's total. In the same year, it also mined about 230,000 tonnes of cobalt, around 74% of global output.
That makes Africa central to one of the minerals most tied to the energy transition.
Cobalt demand is rising fast, driven by electric vehicles, battery storage, renewables and grid infrastructure. The global lithium-ion battery market exceeded $150 billion in 2025, and battery deployment was six times higher than in 2020.
EV battery deployment alone reached 1.2 TWh in 2025 and is projected to climb to almost 5 TWh by 2035.
But Africa is still weak where the value climbs fastest.
No country from Africa or Latin America is a major participant in the trade of battery materials or cathode manufacturing.
By refining cobalt locally, the DRC raised its unit price in 2022 from $5.8 per kilogram at extraction to $16.2 per kilogram after processing, exporting $6 billion in processed cobalt compared with just $167 million in raw cobalt ore.
Africa is short of businesses turning cobalt into higher-value products.
Feature Story
The Simple Habit That Wins Customers
Last week, I argued that your responsiveness is your reputation. But what do you do when you reach out and hear nothing back?
No reply, no acknowledgement, not even a read receipt. What do you do then?
A few months ago, I was reminded of a brutal truth!
People are busy. They may seem rude or uninterested, but most of the time, they are not deliberately ignoring you. They are just busy.
The potential customer who never replied may have opened your message mid-meeting.
That investor who went quiet may have fully intended to come back to you. The client who asked for a quote may still want it; your proposal is just buried under fifty other emails.
The idea was good, but life happened.
This is why follow-ups are important.
It does not mean you are desperate, or pushy, or short on dignity.
Attention is scarce, priorities shift, people forget, messages get missed, and good opportunities suffer a silent death when no one follows up.
Silence does not always amount to rejection
The basic philosophy that I have, is that I think that most things in life, you have to first show up, and then you have to follow up and follow through. And I feel like showing up is tough, but it’s still fairly crowded. But the follow-up and follow-through, dude, there’s just nobody competing with you, because nobody does it.
Steli Efti, CEO of Close CRM, successfully secured an investment after sending exactly 48 follow-up emails.
The investor had initially received a warm introduction and explicitly agreed to a meeting, but then went entirely silent.
Rather than assuming the silence meant rejection, Efti sent a one-sentence email every other day.
On the 48th attempt, the investor replied, explaining he had been managing an overseas crisis. They met the next day, and he invested in the company
The first message is rarely enough.
Many entrepreneurs send one message, proposal, pitch, or quotation, and then they wait.
When nothing comes their way, they tell themselves the other person isn't interested.
If indeed they are not interested in what you are offering now, you do not have to burn bridges. A future pivot, offer or product might!
But there is another possibility for the silence, which is not a lack of interest. Maybe they didn't see your message, got distracted, needed more time, or were waiting to see whether you were serious enough to follow up.
Although the first message opens the door, it is your persistent follow-ups that keep it from closing.
Many people are good at starting conversations.
Few are good at continuing them. Many can make a promise. Few remember to deliver.
It is in these tiny details that trust and reputation are built, not through branding or logos or a polished website, but in the small, consistent details.
You said you would send the invoice, and you sent it. You said you would call back, and you called back. You said you would follow up, and you did.
That tells people you are hungry enough to succeed, hence you are reliable. And reliability is one of the most underrated currencies in business.
Following up is not harassment.
There is a meaningful difference between following up and disturbing people.
A good follow-up is clear, respectful, and well-timed. It gives the other person room to respond without making them feel pressured.
It sounds courteous and professional.
“Hi, just checking if you had a chance to look at this. I know things get busy; happy to resend the details if useful.”
Such a tone keeps the door open by inviting dialogue. It respects their time while reminding them you are still present.
On the other hand, a bad follow-up sounds entitled.
Why haven't you replied?
Are you ignoring me?
This type of follow-up damages the relationship, burns bridges and closes.
The best follow-ups add value.
A follow-up is not a random update or request for an update. It should give the recipient a reason to re-engage.
You can send a clearer summary, answer a question they raised, share a relevant example, or remind them of the specific problem they wanted solved.
Instead of doing this, most people give in too early and miss the opportunity altogether.
Many people give up after one attempt. Some after two. Very few have a calm, consistent follow-up practice.
That means follow-up can become a genuine competitive advantage, because you are still there when everyone else has disappeared.
I always follow up with prospects — many, many times — and that practice alone has made me more successful than 90% of my competition.
Build a system, not a habit of hoping.
You cannot rely on memory alone, especially when you are running a business and managing customers, suppliers, invoices, staff, and your own doubts all at once.
So build a system. It does not need to be complicated: a spreadsheet, a CRM, calendar reminders, even a notebook.
Actively track who you contacted, when you contacted them, what they asked for, and when you need to follow up next.
What gets tracked gets handled, what doesn't gets forgotten.
Try to reach out within 24 hours after the first conversation.
If there is no response, follow up again after two or three days.
After a week, come back with something useful. Then check in softly after that.
Continue only while there is a reasonable basis for the conversation. The goal is not to chase people indefinitely; it is to give a serious opportunity enough room to breathe.
Quote Of The Week
Follow up and follow through until the task is completed, the prize won.
Opportunity Alert
AU ECOSOCC 5th Permanent General Assembly Application
Application Deadline: June 16, 2026
Applications are now open for the African Union ECOSOCC 5th Permanent General Assembly.
ECOSOCC is constituting its 5th Permanent General Assembly. 209 CSOs will be elected.
This call is open to CSOs working at national, regional, continental, and African diaspora levels.
If your organisation is African-led, has been operational for at least three years, and is formally registered, you’re likely eligible.
ECOSOCC (Economic, Social and Cultural Council) is an advisory organ of the African Union that provides a platform for African civil society organisations to participate in AU policy processes and decision-making.
For more information, visit the Official Webpage of the African Union ECOSOCC 5th Permanent General Assembly.
Hustle Trivia
In 2015, Theo Baloyi founded Bathu after conducting 18 months of research and development. With the concept in hand, he pitched his idea to manufacturers.
However, he was rejected by 13 different shoe factories because he wanted to make a shoe entirely out of mesh, which is typically only used as a component in footwear.
Refusing to give up, he flew to a factory in person, and they gave him a chance after seeing his determination.
To date, Bathu has over 40 stores and employs over 500 people. It has also been named Africa's #1 Most Admired Apparel Brand three years in a row.
For his efforts, Theo has been featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and has won GQ's Business Leader of the Year award.
ShoutOut
Shout Out: Femi Otedola
Femi Otedola is a Nigerian billionaire entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist whose business journey cuts across oil, power, finance, shipping and real estate.
He built Zenon Petroleum, later became chairman of Forte Oil, and went on to make major moves in Nigeria’s power sector through Geregu Power.
Today, he serves as Group Chairman of First HoldCo Plc, one of Nigeria’s major financial institutions.
Otedola’s story is a masterclass in knowing when to pivot, evolve, exit, reinvest and how to keep building across industries.
Proverb of the Week
Anayetaka hachoki hata akichoka (huwa) keshapata. (Swahili)
One who craves something does not get tired, and if tired, that person has already acquired it
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