Over the past 12 months How we made it in Africa featured many stories that drew interest from you, our readers. Below is a selection of our 10 most read articles of the year.

1. Low cost business ideas for Africa

Africa is the last business frontier and there is money to be made with good ideas. But which idea to follow? And how not to use all our savings doing it? Here are a few low cost business ideas that can be used with the only requirements being internet access, some free time and a little bit of money. Read the full article.

2. Chinese mobile phone company Tecno explains why it only does business in Africa

China-based mobile phone manufacturer Tecno Telecom Limited exclusively does business in Africa. Last year, the company released the first “Made in Ethiopia” smartphone. On a visit to Nairobi, Kenya this year, Tecno vice president Arif Chowdhury spoke to How we made it in Africa about the firm’s expansion strategy and its plans to move all of its manufacturing to Africa. Read the full interview.

3. Kenyan entrepreneur shares nine ideas on how to be successful in business

Architect John Kithaka began his journey in business immediately after high school at age 18 and is now the CEO and founding member of the Fountain Enterprise Programme Group of Companies. He shares his advice to other entrepreneurs on how to be a success and maybe even a billionaire. Read the full interview.

4. Which African cities will see the most growth over the next five years?

Companies looking to expand into Africa should seriously consider setting up shop in Accra, Lusaka and Luanda. This is if the MasterCard African Cities Growth Index is to be believed. The index includes 19 sub-Saharan African cities, ranking them according to their economic growth potential between 2012 and 2017. Read the full article.

5. Accra expected to be the fastest growing African city for millionaires

Accra’s number of high net worth individuals (HNWI) – with net assets of US$1m or more, excluding their primary residences – are expected grow from 800 in 2012 to 1,500 in 2020. New World Wealth told How we made it in Africa it projects the growth in millionaires by using a number of variables, including economic growth in country, income distribution trends and recent HNWI growth trends in the city or country. Read the full article.

6. Six African companies with a shot at becoming global leaders

Although many African economies are growing at a rapid pace, there are still relatively few companies from the continent that are truly global leaders in their respective sectors. The Boston Consulting Group released its 2013 list of 100 global challenger companies – emerging market businesses that are “growing and globalising quickly” and shaping themselves into worldwide champions. Read the full article.

7. How Ghana’s Michael Agyekum Addo built his business with almost no startup capital

As a young boy raised by his single mother in a poor village in Ghana’s Eastern Region, Dr Michael Agyekum Addo is no stranger to adversity. From taking over his mother’s selling activity at age six to building the pharmaceutical company Kama Group, his story is one of hard work overcoming contrary circumstances. Read the full interview.

8. Six companies investing in African agribusiness, and what we can learn from them

Africa’s agriculture and food industries are attracting increasing interest from investors. This trend is largely fuelled by the fact that the continent has 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, with favourable weather conditions in many countries. There is also a belief that rising incomes will spur demand for food products in the years to come. To examine the opportunities and challenges on the continent, How we made it in Africa looks at six companies that have invested in the region’s agribusiness sector. Read the full article.

9. Founders of Nigerian online retailer Jumia talk about managing a fast growing business

Two young West Africans are taking e-commerce to the next level in Africa’s most populous nation – and soon to be the continent’s largest economy – Nigeria. Exploring the huge potential in the oil-rich country, the founders of online retailer Jumia – Nigerian Tunde Kehinde and his Ghanaian partner Raphael Afaedor – saw a big opportunity in the market a year ago and decided to meet the growing needs of the country’s emerging middle class. Read the full interview.

10. Former banker explains why he quit his job to bring Naked Pizza to Africa

Kenya’s hotel and restaurant sector is attracting local and foreign investment. US-based chain Naked Pizza this year joined other international restaurant brands which have entered the Kenyan market. The chain’s pizzas are “all-natural” and made from whole food ingredients. Former banker Ritesh Doshi told How we made it in Africa why he quit his job to bring the pizza franchise to Kenya. Read the full interview.