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Chasing the Cheetahs

More than 40 percent of Africa’s people are under 15—and they’re getting ready to change the way the continent works.

According to legend, European explorer Juan Ponce de León explored North America in the early 1500s in pursuit of the ­legendary Fountain of Youth. Today, it’s clear where the Fountain of Youth is, but one must sail in the other direction across the Atlantic Ocean to find it. It isn’t hard to see where the future markets—particularly youth markets—will be.

The growth of African youth markets might bode well for the future. "Imagine the kind of economy we can create in 10 years," said Lanya Stanek, group advertising manager of Coca-Cola Africa. "There is a sense that [young people] have one shot in life so they need to make it count. Self-belief is very strong."

Youth also recognize that with their help, the continent will be a very different place than where their parents lived. This cheetah generation is helping create and participating in a thriving market—and this market is Africa’s future.

Vijay Mahajan holds the John P. Harbin Centennial Chair in Business at McCombs School of Business within the University of Texas at Austin. This is an edited excerpt from his book, Africa Rising: How 900 Million African Consumers Offer More Than You Think, which will be published in September by Wharton School Publishing.

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