Tata: An Indian Multinational’s Africa Journey

Abstract

The Tata Group, India’s largest multinational conglomerate, has been a developing-country pioneer in Africa. It began its African journey in the late 1970s when much of the continent was in a state of political and economic transition and global companies were looking elsewhere. More than 35 years later, Tata Africa Holdings, born from the Tata Group, is restructuring its operations to deal with a new phase of expansion. Facing increased competition and a much-changed operating environment, the group is considering how to reposition its African operations across more than 14 countries and nearly a dozen sectors.¹ Part of the strategy is to grow its already large footprint to cover about 20 countries by 2020.²