#33 Emerging Markets Leader's Talk -Episode&Guest #4-, Bernard Laurendeau, Founder of Enkopa Lab Japan & Managing Partner of Laurendeau & Associates(Ethiopia)
Reframing Risk and Opportunity in Japan Africa Business
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Concept and Purpose of “Emerging Markets Leader’s Talk” featured in the “Essence of Global Businesses” newsletter
This series is dedicated to highlighting exceptional business and social leaders from emerging markets—individuals who are not only driving impact in their local communities and countries, but also contributing meaningfully to the global stage with a strong mission and vision.
Through in-depth features, we aim to share the essence of their journeys—including their actions, challenges, achievements, visions, and personal stories—with our global audience of curious and passionate learners.
By doing so, we hope to offer our readers meaningful inspiration, ideas, and insights that can add value to their own paths, especially as they navigate and shape the future of their own emerging frontiers.
Our prime 4th Guest is Mr.Bernard Laurendeau, Founder of Enkopa Lab Japan and Laurendeau & Associates, working for Africa.
LinkedIn(Individual) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernard-laurendeau-ቤርናር-ベルナルド-a94b6918/
Enkopa Lab - https://enkopalab.com/
Laurendeau & Associates - https://www.laurendeauassoc.com/
Let’s talk with him !
Episode & Guest #1: Mr.Sleem Hasan, Founder and CEO of Privity FZ LLE(UAE)
Episode & Guest #2: Ms.Ha Dau, Co-Founder and Chairwoman of OMT Vietnam
Episode & Guest #3: Mr.Arvind Jha, Founder of Mithila Angel Network & MithilaStack Pvt Ltd(India)
1. About your individual career and activities in Ethiopia, Africa, and globally
Hiroyuki:
Before founding Enkopa Lab Japan, you already had quite a diverse journey from global consulting to fintech leadership in Ethiopia. Could you tell us about that path?
Bernard:
Sure. My professional journey began in global management consulting. But over time, I felt a growing urge to contribute to Africa’s economic transformation more directly. That led me to co-found Arifpay, which became Ethiopia’s first National Bank–licensed payment system operator.
Later, I served as a Senior Advisor to the Commissioner at the Jobs Creation Commission under the Office of the Prime Minister.
Those experiences across consulting, fintech, and policy showed me how much of a gap still exists between private sector actors, governments, and investors. That realization ultimately pushed me to create Enkopa Lab Japan here in Tokyo, with a mission to help Japanese organizations engage African markets more strategically and confidently.
2. About your organization
Hiroyuki:
What is Enkopa Lab Japan, and what makes it distinct?
Bernard:
We’re a Tokyo-based boutique advisory firm focused on Japan–Africa engagement. Our work centers around AI-powered insights and data-driven market intelligence, in partnership with Kasi Insights, one of Africa’s leading consumer data firms.
Through that collaboration, we help Japanese companies and investors assess African market risks more precisely and more confidently.
Our services range from market entry strategy and partnership facilitation to cross-cultural management advisory.
3. About your business and services
Hiroyuki:
How do you define Enkopa Lab’s core mission?
Bernard:
In simple terms, we exist to bridge the data and cultural gap between Japan and Africa.
Our edge lies in three things: AI-driven analytics, cultural fluency in both Japanese and African contexts, and deep corporate experience across both continents.
We typically work with Japanese corporations, investors, and entrepreneurs preparing to enter or expand in Africa. They come to us for credible data, risk clarity, and trusted local connections, essentially, we help them de-risk and accelerate their Africa strategies.
4. Business risks and difficulties
Hiroyuki:
Africa is often described as a “high-potential, high-risk” frontier. From your perspective, what are the key challenges Japanese players face?
Bernard:
That phrase captures it well. Japan’s interest in Africa is certainly rising, but major barriers remain.
There’s still a limited understanding of African markets, and in some cases, outdated stereotypes. Reliable data for risk assessment is also scarce, that’s part of what we’re tackling through AI and data partnerships.
Beyond perception, there are real operational and regulatory complexities. Some are structural, but others are simply perceived. Our job is to design strategies that cut through both.
5. Reason and background to start the business
Hiroyuki:
So Enkopa Lab was born from those perception gaps?
Bernard:
Exactly. I kept seeing recurring misunderstandings between Japanese investors and African realities.
I wanted to leverage my cross-continental experience to build trust grounded in data and human connection.
I genuinely believe that Japan has a unique role to play in Africa’s development, but that engagement must be mutual and sustainable. It’s not about charity; it’s about partnership.
6. Mission and vision
Hiroyuki:
What’s your long-term vision for Enkopa Lab?
Bernard:
Our mission is to enable high-quality Japan–Africa engagement through actionable insights and trusted partnerships.
Our vision is to become the leading platform for sustainable, data-driven collaboration between Japan and Africa.
We want to be the bridge that allows ideas, people, and capital to move both ways with impact.
7. Challenges and how to overcome them
Hiroyuki:
You mentioned structural barriers earlier. How do you think they can be overcome?
Bernard:
The biggest challenge is the risk perception gap. Even when interest is strong, the default assumption is often “too risky.”
To change that, we’re deepening partnerships with credible data firms like Kasi Insights and showcasing real success stories.
Nothing shifts perception like evidence.
We also encourage Japanese and African partners to think long-term, move away from one-off projects toward enduring collaborations.
8. Type of partners you seek
Hiroyuki:
What kind of partners are you looking to collaborate with through Enkopa Lab?
Bernard:
On the Japan side, we seek corporates, investors, and development agencies genuinely serious about exploring Africa, not just “checking the box.”
On the Africa side, we look for private-sector players open to co-creation and joint ventures.
We’ve already supported several joint initiatives in areas like fintech, agribusiness, and human capital, always with a focus on shared value.
9. Message and advice
Hiroyuki:
Finally, what would you say to Japanese companies or leaders considering engagement with Africa?
Bernard:
Come, but come prepared.
Don’t rely on assumptions; invest the time to understand local realities and find trusted partners.
And most importantly, don’t see Africa as an aid destination. See it as a strategic, long-term growth frontier—because it truly is.
Owner’s View
What struck me most in my conversation with my friend, Bernard san was not only his deep understanding of Africa’s fintech and policy landscape, but the clarity with which he articulated where the real friction lies between Japan and African markets.
It is not a lack of interest.
It is not a lack of opportunity.
And it is certainly not a lack of goodwill.
The gap sits somewhere else between perception and reality, between intention and execution.
Bernard san’s journey, spanning global consulting, fintech entrepreneurship in Ethiopia, and advisory work within government and corporate, gives him a rare vantage point. He has seen how capital, policy, and private sector ambition often move in parallel, yet fail to truly converge. Enkopa Lab Japan was born precisely from that tension, and from a belief that this gap can be bridged if approached with the right mindset.
One of the most important insights from our dialogue was the role of data as trust infrastructure.
In many Japan Africa discussions, risk is spoken of in abstract terms, often amplified by outdated narratives or incomplete information. Bernard san’s work, particularly through AI driven analytics and partnerships like Kasi Insights, reframes risk not as something to fear, but as something to be understood. When risk becomes measurable and contextualized, meaningful engagement becomes possible.
Equally important, however, is what data alone cannot solve.
Africa is not a monolith, and neither is Japan. Sustainable collaboration requires cultural fluency, patience, and long term commitment. Bernard san emphasized that successful engagement is rarely the result of one off projects or exploratory visits. It is built through repeated dialogue, local partnerships, and a willingness to learn before acting.
For Japanese companies and investors, and equally for African entrepreneurs and institutions, this conversation carries a simple but powerful message. Come prepared. Preparation does not mean having all the answers. It means being willing to question assumptions, invest in understanding, and commit to partnerships that create value on both sides.
This dialogue with Bernard san reaffirmed my own conviction. The future of emerging markets engagement will not be driven by speed alone, but by depth. And in that future, Japan and Africa have far more to gain together than many still realize.
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About Essence of Global Businesses
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