Why Strategy Fails in Africa – Lessons from the Ground

In Africa, strategy doesn’t fail because people don’t plan. It fails because too often, we plan without truly listening.

At Entrepreneurial Communities Africa (ECA), we’ve worked with over 130 organizations across 12 countries, designing and implementing strategies that work — and more importantly, last. Along the way, we’ve learned some hard truths about why many strategic plans in Africa gather dust on shelves instead of driving change on the ground.

The Ground Realities

Too many strategic frameworks are copied from global models without accounting for local context. A well-written plan is useless if it doesn’t reflect the lived realities of the people it's meant to serve. For instance, a digital transformation strategy in a rural county that struggles with stable electricity is more likely to breed frustration than progress.

Participation Beats Perfection

We’ve seen time and again that strategies co-created with stakeholders – youth, women, community leaders – outperform top-down models. ECA’s participatory design approach ensures that no voice is left out, making implementation smoother and more sustainable.

Execution is Everything

Plans don’t fail because they’re wrong — they fail because they’re not followed. ECA emphasizes implementation support, from building performance management systems to facilitating organizational health audits and follow-ups. Strategy should be a living document, not a ceremonial one.

The Way Forward

We need to build strategic muscle across our institutions — the ability to adapt, respond, and learn. With ECA’s experience in design thinking and results-based frameworks, we help our partners not just write plans, but bring them to life.

Strategy doesn’t fail Africa. Poorly executed, imported, or exclusive strategy does.