[ACCI-CAVIE] Dr. Guy Gweth, President of the African Centre for Competitive Intelligence (ACCI), addressed a gathering of 240 Austrian diplomats, business leaders, and academic professionals at the Vienna Chamber of Commerce on March 20, 2024. He demonstrated the contribution of competitive intelligence to the competitiveness of the Francophonie in general and the attractiveness of African markets in particular.

According to the African Centre for Competitive Intelligence (ACCI), “competitive intelligence (CI) is a mind-set, a device, and a coordinated process of rapid, legal, and secure questioning, collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence useful for decision-making in a competitive, uncertain, or hostile environment.”

It is an essential tool for French-speaking public and private operators who want to increase their competitiveness, safeguard their domestic market, expand their market share, acquire new customers, retain their clientele, minimize risks, stay at the forefront of technology, and protect their informational assets.

In 2022, in Djerba, Tunisia, Dr. Guy Gweth created the Festival de l’intelligence économique francophone – FIEF (Francophone festival for competitive intelligence) to contribute effectively and measurably to the competitiveness of the Francophonie. This was done on the sidelines of the 18th Summit of Heads of State and Government of OIF member countries.

To recap, the Francophonie encompasses 321 million speakers in 112 countries and territories, representing 17.5% of the world’s population. It is the fifth most spoken language in the world, with 16.6% of global GDP, 20% of intra-community trade, $9 trillion USD of cumulative GDP, and $624 billion USD of intra-Francophone exports in the fourth quarter of 2023.

The main strengths of the Francophone space are a growing market (with a young and dynamic population), a rich and diverse economic space (with vast natural and human resources), and strong attractiveness for investors (with a relatively stable and favorable legal environment).

The main challenges of the Francophone space are reducing economic disparities among Francophone countries, developing infrastructure and digitalization, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation, and strengthening Francophone influence in the world. In light of this, African competitive intelligence emerges as the sword and shield of the competitiveness of the Francophone space.

Before an attentive audience of 240 participants, Dr. Guy Gweth, President of the ACCI, provided concrete examples, comparative analyses, and shared experiences to support his demonstration.

Following this conference, which was unanimously acclaimed by the attendees, participants noted that competitive intelligence is a considerable asset for economic operators who want to stand out in a competitive and dynamic environment, such as the markets in Francophone Africa. A proactive and coordinated adoption could enable the Francophone space to improve its performance, strengthen its competitiveness, and position itself as a key player in global economic development.

The Editorial Team