Unlike any other time in Africa‘s history, more women (especially in urban areas) are working at paid jobs or running their own small businesses. As a result of this trend, there is a growing opportunity for convenience services like crèches and daycare center businesses.
More middle class families can now afford these services and appreciate the value it brings to their children‘s early mental and emotional development. The crèche and daycare service business is a venture that can be run from your home or a rented facility, and is best located in a residential or office neighborhood where mothers live or work.
In fact, we heard that mums in some African cities are taking the whole daycare service to a new level. To avoid traffic, some daycare services now arrange for the children to be picked up and they also drop the children at home in the evening as an added service. There a nanny often takes over. Seriously, some well-off and busy African mums need to be careful not to outsource raising their children, but for you it‘s good business.
Business Concept
There are different concepts for childcare you could pursue, similar to childcare setups across the world. There is the possibility of opening a private daycare center in special premises that you either rent, lease, or own with families paying a monthly or yearly fee for the childcare and the provision of healthy food. There is potential to expand this by creating a chain of well-recognized and respected centers across the city or country.
Alternatively you could start it as a smaller business by providing childcare in your own home. This would allow you to take up to around five children into your care. The downside with this approach is that it may pay you a decent monthly income, but it will be difficult to expand that. This is something you should be aware of.
Yet another possibility would be to run several such home-based daycare options as a network, which then would allow you to grow the business.
Think of added services you could offer to families to increase the revenue stream in your business.
Niche Ideas
Day care for disabled children
Promoting unique and renowned pedagogical concepts, such as Montessori
Top Countries & Policy Guidance
It is a business that works across Africa, but ideally you will run this in a country where people have enough spending power to pay for quality private daycare – only this way will you be able to make enough revenue. Countries include Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, Kenya, and South Africa, among others.
Action & Tips
To find out more about your market and competition you need to visit existing childcare facilities in the country you want to operate in and directly engage with mothers for their feedback.
Finding websites for certain childcare facilities in Africa will be difficult (it is so rare!), but some of the more advanced and professional facilities do own websites – and that may just be a strong indicator that this facility could be a competitor of yours if it is located around the same area.
Contact the Ministry of Social Welfare / Labor & Welfare and get more information about your industry and competition.
Most mothers in the upper-middle class and upper class are happy to provide their children with the best childcare on offer and many like a concept that stands out from the norm. With many of the wealthy families adopting Western lifestyles, a private American Kindergarten‘ or German Kindergarten,‘ which follows foreign concepts and is branded in accordance with them, would be worth considering.