Trust Merchant Bank (TMB), a leading bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), needs to decide whether to enter the soon-to-be-liberalized insurance industry. Since its founding in 2004, TMB has played a pivotal role in reshaping the DRC banking landscape by focusing on retail customers and thus promoting financial inclusion in the DRC. In 2018, the Congolese government decided to open up the insurance industry, formerly a state-owned and mismanaged monopoly. TMB is considering applying for the newly available insurance licenses as the bank is well-positioned to capitalize on its existing banking infrastructure to begin selling insurance. The bank's leadership team is assessing the opportunities and challenges with such a move. What is required of TMB to make this move a success? How will TMB's customers react? How should the bank grow in an increasingly competitive environment?

This case describes Amandla Capital, a fledgling company in Cote d'Ivoire, facing three opportunities in the real estate and hospitality industries in Africa. It introduces students to several concepts: decision making and cost-benefit analysis in real estate, corporate strategy selection, management of stakeholders with varied needs and levels of sophistication, dealing with conflicts of interest, basics of hospitality and hotel management industries.