₦airaland Forum

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Dean Foster is the author of "The Global Etiquette Guide to Africa"

Foster believes the key to success in Nigeria depends on your contacts and commitment

Providing a tip or "dash" for services, including the processing of official documents, is normal

London, England (CNN) -- In a business culture where negotiations are fluid and what's agreed on Monday might not necessary mean the same thing on Tuesday, how do you get the job done?

It's a challenge some foreigners encounter when doing business in Nigeria.

However, things don't have to be difficult explains Dean Foster, president of the cross-cultural training company Dean Foster Associates and author of "The Global Etiquette Guide to Africa."

According to Foster, as long as you understand the cultural etiquette, doing business in Nigeria can offer vast opportunities. But, he says, success comes down two key factors: contacts and commitment.

"The bottom line is that you cannot expect to go into Nigeria, make the deal, turn around, walk out and expect things to go as planned," Foster told CNN.

You'll build friendships and relationships that will last a life

--Dean Foster, author of "The Global Etiquette Guide to Africa."

"If you're committed to business in Nigeria you have to know that you're entering an environment that requires your constant attention and constant renegotiation. Adaptability and flexibility on your part is key," he continued.

Knowing the right person is also fundamental, according to Foster, who says personal relationships are often more important than regulations and laws. It's something, he warns, many outsiders may feel uncomfortable with.

"You have to be wary of the old tradition of 'dash,' which in Nigeria essentially means putting money in the hands of an individual," he said.

"It is of course in many respects illegal, but it is still quite a common convention. And the degree to which you, as a business person, want to co-operate with this will determine to a great degree the success you have in Nigeria."

But despite the challenges, Foster is adamant business in Nigeria can be a rewarding experience -- and not just financially.

"The people are fantastic -- you realize that the social networks and relationships you put so some much energy and time into, are in fact is part of the great reward. You'll build friendships and relationships that will last a life," he told CNN.

Dean Foster's top five tips for doing business in Nigeria.

1. Agreeing with people is considered to be a sign of respect. Nigerians generally say "yes" to a request because their respect for you does not allow them to say "no."

2. Among traditional Nigerian business people, an appointment is rarely private. Try not to be irritated if your meeting is interrupted by phone calls and/or visits from your client's friends and family.

3. Do not eat everything on your plate; leaving some food is a signal that you have had enough. If you clean your plate, you are indicating that you
want more food.

4. Nigerians tend to stand close to each other while speaking. If you are uncomfortable conversing at this distance, try to refrain from backing up.

5. Nigerians are good bargainers, and you should expect to bargain and compromise in the marketplace and at the negotiating table.

Comments in the Cnn Forum

sweet03 I personally will not do business in Nigeria again, i dont believe them and they r not worth the hassle. THey are sweet talkers, so do not try it.

Indykid Is there any Nigerians in this forum If so , put your wallet in your front pocket. just sayin,   

heo9542 [/b]Doing business in Nigeria, thats a good idea. I get emails for it all the time and they seem trustworthy to me. I cant even tell you how many millions of dollars I have waiting for me in escrow over there.  [b]This guy neva jam 

Princeofilorin:
was passing thru this thread and had to comment on your incurable idiocity.
I've never attended any seminar in my life.Instead ppl come to me to learn,even computer village boys not just about but also about hardware,software,cracking to mention a few.
ppl on NL that know me personally know what i can do and undo.
i'm outta here!

Genuflect:
Nah not overrated. I just get pissed when people say he's better than M9. He's very good at putting a song together but lyrically better than Mode 9, hells no!

Mavor:
And a new one was discovered.

obinna5000:
@Mobinga
You got the article from BBC website. I just read it today.
But I don't think there are pirated PS3 discs at the moment.

@MRbrownJAY aka MRdownload
How far now??

Kinezeala:
@mobinga
thanks for the advice.
But i don't need dope lines ok?

chrisical:
Are these rap lines?

Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Iraq on Monday to participate in a ceremony marking the end of the U.S. combat mission there, according to the White House.
He was greeted in Baghdad by U.S. Ambassador Jim Jeffrey, outgoing U.S. commander Gen. Ray Odierno and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.
While in the country, Biden will meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani, Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, Vice President Adil Abd al-Mahdi and other political leaders "to discuss the latest developments in Iraq and to urge Iraqi leaders to conclude negotiations on the formation of a new government," the White House said in a written statement.
The United States' official combat mission in Iraq is scheduled to conclude on Tuesday. Roughly 50,000 troops, however, will remain in the country until the end of 2011. Their mission will be to will train, assist and advise the Iraqis.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver an Oval Office address on the seven-year Iraqi conflict on Tuesday night.
"As a candidate for this office, I pledged I would end this war. As president, that is what I am doing," Obama said Saturday in his weekly address.
"The bottom line is this: the war is ending. Like any sovereign, independent nation, Iraq is free to chart its own course. And by the end of next year, all of our troops will be home," the president added.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, is also expected is address the war in Iraq on Tuesday. Boehner will remind an American Legion audience in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that Obama and other Democratic leaders opposed former President George W. Bush's troop surge there, according to a Boehner aide.
While administration officials have touted what they claim is a gradual decline in the overall level of violence in Iraq, the country has recently been the target of a series of attacks.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned last Friday of the likelihood of continuing attacks across the country and put all local governments and security forces on high alert.
In a statement read on state television, al-Maliki -- commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces -- said there were indications that "al Qaeda and remnants of the Baath party with foreign backing are planning to carry out a series of bombings in Baghdad and the other provinces."
The statement, which came shortly before midnight in Iraq, said the attacks would strike across the country, targeting government institutions in particular.
The prime minister's warning came two days after a wave of 20 bomb attacks struck 13 Iraqi cities, mostly targeting police. The bombs killed 48 and wounded at least 286.
Last Wednesday's attacks increased fears among Iraqis about the ability of their security forces to protect them after the U.S. withdrawal.
The attacks were a show of force for the insurgency, which has been dealt major blows over the past two years. The bombing campaign proved insurgents' ability to hit key targets in what appears to have been a highly coordinated effort stretching from Basra in the far south to Mosul in the north.

javalove:
@tosin

its u that knows he is a lyricist. . .the poster obviously doesnt know. . .

and other rappers are "richer" does not mean he is not "rich". . .

anywayz, i have neva been a fan of bragging about money and other stuffs. . .brag about skills and do it well

At least no one can come out and say he aint making money. . .



#Javalove. . .unless otherwise stated. . .!

v3:
Did you sniff coke?
How do our comments look/sound gay?

Kwame08:
I noticed the panting too. acting like he was havin sex or somethin lol

Kinezeala:
hehe,
na you know cuz i no send you any message at all.

Kinezeala:
minaj is just too good mehn/she can make a monk shout damn!/other rappers sound like a broken radio jingle/her supremacy is so safe like m.i's best rap single/
dude,am a tell you this once - she's the best/
she got a rap crew you don't wanna test/
her punch lines leaves you dazed like mohammed ali/
she's the world greatest forget r.kelly/
drake wasn't good enough to find her love/
but right in front of lil wayne she licked ma lollipop/
the love i ooze makes her call me the illest/
my love makes her die hard go ask bruce willis/
she once told me she felt so cold when she was held by gyptian/
first time i held her waist she called me pharoah as if i was an egyptian/