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From beer bottles in Ethiopia to data centres: The American entrepreneur who goes big in Africa

Having launched a glass factory, a pan-African data centre business and an equipment financing company, Roha Group’s Brooks Washington is now building a hospital in Addis Ababa. This is his story.

After several years at McKinsey in South Africa and Nigeria, American-born Brooks Washington set out to build something of his own. His first venture was a beer bottle factory in Ethiopia. It was followed by a pan-African data centre business, an equipment financing company and, most recently, a hospital.

How we made it in Africa editor-in-chief Jaco Maritz speaks to the founder of Roha Group about his entrepreneurial journey and why he believes you might as well go big.

Topics discussed include:

  • Launching a beer bottle factory in Ethiopia

  • The case for data centres in Africa

  • Starting small versus starting big

  • How he manages to be involved in so many ventures

  • The importance of surviving just long enough

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