Establishing Local Collaboration: The Key to Successful Business Activities in Rural Areas
When conducting business overseas, having a reliable business partner is essential. However, when it comes to activities in rural areas, establishing a solid local collaboration framework becomes even more crucial. Before starting our field survey in Senegal, we held meetings with two key organizations that manage rural water supply: OFOR (Office of Rural Boreholes) and OMVS (Organization for the Development of the Senegal River), to request their cooperation.
The Importance of Meeting with Authorized Personnel
During overseas research and business activities, selecting the right person to meet is critical. Without a meeting with someone who has the authority to make decisions, it’s often difficult to conduct even basic research activities. This time, we were able to secure meetings with authorized personnel thanks to the support of our local business partner. By leveraging all available resources and fully utilizing the local network, we were able to take a significant step towards realizing our project.
Building Trust and Establishing a Collaboration Framework through Meetings
During our meetings, the representatives from OFOR and OMVS came to understand the purpose of our research and the performance of the products we intend to introduce. They agreed to cooperate with us in conducting our research. This establishment of trust and a cooperative framework will serve as a great asset for our future business expansion. It has reminded us once again that without local cooperation, nothing can be achieved.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone at OFOR and OMVS for their cooperation in making these meetings possible. Moving forward, we will continue working closely with the local community to contribute to regional development.
We have now arrived at our first survey base in Ndioum.
