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For Akhona Qengqe, General Manager of KFC Africa, the role of quick service restaurant (QSR) firms in Africa is deeply integrated with the continent’s economic realities and its long-term growth potential.
“The role that QSR plays in Africa is multi-faceted,” she explains, going on to point out some of the most pressing challenges.
“Success to me equals impact.”
“Slow growth, unemployment, rising costs, unstable and undeveloped infrastructure, over indexing on informal businesses as the backbone of some of the economies.”
Against this complex backdrop, Qengqe argues that QSR brands have a vital role to play in creating more resilient economic networks. This is possible due to the high rate of innovation within QSR, allowing firms like KFC Africa to respond quickly to shifting consumer needs.
“What the QSR industry does is to create meaningful opportunities for both operators and owners, employment, sophistication of supply chains. It also taps into the rising consumer needs of the youngest continent in the world – these are the people who are on the go and are looking for convenience but with brands they love and trust, whilst keen to explore new offerings,” she says.
With rapid growth planned for KFC Africa in underserved African markets, Qengqe remains committed to fostering a robust business model that sees franchise partners succeed. Of course, as Qengqe seeks out partners who can support expansion plans, values need to align.
For Qengqe, success is not only measured in terms of financial metrics. Making a real, tangible impact on the people and communities KFC Africa serves is an equally important part of Qengqe’s leadership.
“Success to me equals impact. If we can’t leverage our brands to create sustainable impact in our economies we would have missed out on great opportunities. Part of that impact for me means our ability to transform the lives of those around us by making opportunities available to them,” she adds.
One way Qengqe is using her experience to give back is through the Women in Franchising Africa (WIFA) network, which she created just over a year ago. Focusing on boosting inclusion and empowering women in Africa, WIFA has already supported women entrepreneurs and emerging business leaders in franchising across the continent.
“As a leader in franchising I would like to use my skills and influence to positively shape the role of franchising in growing economies across Africa,” says Qengqe.
Global geopolitical challenges are rarely contained to a single region, with the knock-on effect from foreign conflicts and volatility making securing uninterrupted supply chain operations an even bigger challenge.
“It has taken a village to raise this giant of a brand.”
“It goes back to strategic partnerships that are not built during the time of crisis but are built in fair weather. When challenges hit, it is easier to sit with a trusted and long-standing partner to map out a model that protects our businesses for the moment as well as into the future,” she explains.
By focusing on what KFC Africa can control during turbulent times, Qengqe is working to navigate increasingly complex geopolitical conditions, without becoming overwhelmed by inflationary pressures and currency volatility.
“Our brand is a forever brand, and while short-term volatility can bring uncertainty, the lens I look at the world through is a long-term one – as a business that helps us to focus on the bigger picture,” she says.
Even a relatively minor supply chain hiccup can cause major delays and disruption for restaurants, meaning resilience needs to be built deep into these operations. Infrastructure gaps and logistical challenges in Africa, too, can present significant challenges if they are not proactively addressed.
In Qengqe’s experience, having the time to put the right strategy in place is essential to achieving supply chain excellence in an industry as competitive and fast-moving as the quick service restaurant space.
“Supply chain excellence is not a one-off, it’s about doing the right things time and time again,” she says.
For example, setting up a processing facility in a new market may take lots of time and up-front costs, acknowledges Qengqe, but this investment absolutely pays off.
“Supply chain excellence is not a one-off, it’s about doing the right things time and time again.”
“In the long-term it drives our business agenda of delivering quality at affordable value, for all consumers, across every restaurant,” she adds.
KFC Africa’s effective operations are due, in large part, to the diverse supplier ecosystem that includes partners working in everything from agriculture and poultry to packaging and logistics.
Packaging leader Huhtamaki South Africa operates across many African countries and helps to ensure consistent standards in the high-volume output of KFC Africa. Poultry supply chains, too, are underpinned by producers including Country Bird Holdings and Sovereign Foods Investments, both of which offer expertise in agricultural processing.
“The successful KFC business has not been built in isolation of all our stakeholders, those being our franchisees, our teams across Africa, our consumers in every community where we operate and of course our supply partners,” Qengqe explains.
Building on these industry-leading partnerships, which have literally taken decades to develop, Qengqe is working to guarantee a future for KFC Africa that is able to withstand whatever challenges come its way.
“We did not get to 56 years in Africa by doing this by ourselves, indeed it has taken a village to raise this giant of a brand,” she concludes. “And it will continue to do so for the next 56 years and beyond.”
“We need to make sure we are building sustainability through our businesses and that the economies we operate in continue to thrive,” she says.
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