Alison Ngibuini got the kick to venture into
business after her employer moved offices. After
eight years working for some of Kenya’s leading
advertising agencies, Ngibuini had acquired
immense experience on how brands are created,
positioned and sold to customers. She never
thought about entrepreneurship until the company
she was working for shifted offices from the city to
an out-of-town location.
Ngibuini told How we made it in Africa that had she
opted to keep her job, she would have had to wake
up very early in the morning to beat Nairobi’s
infamous traffic.
“That was my wake -up call. I told my boss: ‘I am
quitting’. I had had enough. When you are employed
you can’t make decisions for yourself; the boss
moves, you have to move with him. The decision to
move was not consultative, everybody was
disgruntled but people chose to adjust. I refused to
conform and adjust. It was time for me to step out.”
Ngibuini then started her own production company,
Al Is On Production.
“I only had a computer, a pen and a mobile phone. I
began working from home.”
Al Is On Production is involved in the production and
creation of television dramas, documentaries, game
shows, commercials and feature films. The firm is
renowned in East Africa for having created award-
winning shows which have aired across the region.
Starting out as an independent producer, Ngibuini
learnt the ropes from production houses she had
worked with in the past. One of her early mentors
was Bharat Thakrar, founder and CEO of East Africa’s
largest marketing services firm Scangroup, which is
listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
“Bharat was actually quite instrumental. He found a
way of engineering things such that every still
production job was done and organised by me. I had
a shoot every day. He gave me one of my first
commercials for Fanta,” said Ngibuini. “Whenever I
meet Bharat I remind him that he started me off and
I am following in his steps. I hope one day I can get
a listing of my own business in the stock market.”
Ngibuini’s initial struggle was to fight control of the
industry by European-owned companies.
“Most of the creative directors were European so they
gave the work to other Europeans. For us guys, being
black, starting off in the industry was a bit tougher
but you make your mark and build relationships,”
she said.
As business picked up, Ngibuini hired an accountant
and a secretary. Her team has since expanded to 17
full-time staff. During production, the company hires
between 70 -100 people.
Over the years, Ngibuini, who has been recognised
twice as one of Kenya’s ‘Top 40 Under 40’ successful
career women, has expanded her business portfolio
to combat the effects of increasing competition in
the industry. In 2005, after years of focusing on
commercials, Al Is On Production ventured into TV
production.
Diversified business
“I realised I needed to diversify my business. I
couldn’t just sit and chase for the same amount of
work as everybody else. I went to the UK and I saw
this show called University Challenge,” said
Ngibuini. “One day I got connected with the people
who make the show and they were actually looking at
Africa as a prospective place to do the show. We got
into a partnership and it was fantastic. I got a
chance to make a fully fledged game show. That was
my first step into television.”
The Zain Africa Challenge aired in Kenya, Uganda,
Tanzania , Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi , Nigeria , Ghana ,
and Sierra Leone for five years.
After the university challenge, Al Is On Production
began creating public education and awareness
campaigns. A Kenyan production titled Siri
addressed issues around HIV and AIDS. Soap operas
Mali and Shuga have been screened in several
countries outside Kenya.
Ngibuni’s approach has been to make quality
content that appeals to pan-African and international
audiences.
“It’s been a tough journey. But I am happy to say I
am the first producer [in Kenya] to do a full multi-
cam studio. M-Net have come into the market and
revamped the studios.”
Ngibuini said her company has been successful
because she looks beyond telling a good story.
“It is not just about telling a great story. It has to
be economically viable. Can the show be syndicated?
Does that story appeal beyond Kenya? I am not in
the showbiz world. I am running a business. People
see the glamour, but for me this is a business and
at the end of the day it must generate income.”
One of the major challenges Al Is On Production
faces is increasing competition in the industry.
“I am filming commercials for much less than I did,
say five years ago. The market has shifted. It has
become a lot more difficult to justify a TV
commercial. The budgets are not what they used to
be. What I quote, there is someone else willing to
undercut that price. It is getting leaner [and]
meaner.”
This has inspired Ngibuini to explore ways to evolve
the company and stay relevant in the market.
“It keeps me on my toes on how to remain
competitive. It has made me reinvent my company
and diversify into other things so that we don’t
plateau and stagnate.”
Although it is “still a man’s world”, Ngibuini says she
is “willing to navigate the space”.
“I feel there is great opportunity. I would like to
leave a giant footprint for young girls to know that
they can achieve anything. The only real obstacles
are the ones you create in your mind.”
Moving forward, Ngibuini would like to double her
firm’s turnover.
“I cannot do that by sticking to what I do all the
time. I want to go into new ventures, diversify and
add new portfolios to what I already have. I love
telling stories, but TV financing is always an issues. I
want to get my company to a place where we can
self-finance products and reap the benefits of it.”
Working together
As Kenya and other African countries gear up for
digital migration, Ngibuini is positive this will open
opportunities for existing and new players in film
production.
She argued that for Africa to develop, the continent
ought to stop looking inward and start looking
outwards.
“We need to move away from our own self-serving
interests. Africa needs to negotiate as a block, as
opposed to each country pushing for its own
individual interest. We should open up our space.
Why is it cheaper for me to travel to London than it
is to go to Nigeria? We should stick together.”
Ngibuini advised other entrepreneurs to maintain
good relations and have a mentor to guide them on
their journey.
“We are all something, but none of us is everything.
Be a good listener because you don’t know
everything.”
Ngibuini, who is in the process of completing her
MBA, added that entrepreneurs need to reinvent and
improve themselves.
“Don’t be static. I always ask myself: what is my
market worth?”
As difficult as entrepreneurship is, Ngibuini noted
that aspiring business people should learn to
overcome their fears and pursue their dreams.
“You also need to be tenacious, resilient and patient
and do serious networking. When you fall, get up,
dust yourself off and keep going. Your drive will
determine how far you can go. You also need to be
money smart.”
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