What Baobab Consulting does

Baobab Consulting is a privately held, remote-first consulting firm founded in 2016 in St Louis, Senegal by Liz Grossman Kitoyi and Tayib Fall, headquartered operationally in Brooklyn, New York. The firm offers two core professional service lines: Social Impact Advisory & Research, which provides quantitative and qualitative research, stakeholder engagement, and program development for organizations operating in or investing in Africa; and Public Relations & Strategic Communications, which delivers communications audits, strategy development, media relations, event management, content development, social media management, and customized training. The underlying technology stack consists of standard digital communications and research tools (Thinkific for course hosting, Gumroad for report distribution, project-based engagement management) rather than proprietary technology products. Baobab's revenue model is purely project-based professional services with bespoke pricing negotiated per engagement; no public pricing tiers or recurring SaaS-style subscriptions exist. The firm serves international development organizations (IDRC, ILO), NGOs and foundations (Open Society Foundation, African Diaspora Network, Women Deliver), and Africa-focused enterprises, with demonstrated client engagements across media campaigns, training programs, online course production, and event coordination.

Name

Baobab Consulting

Legal name

Baobab Consulting

Website

https://baobab-consulting.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Baobab Consulting is a remote-first, Africa-focused consulting firm providing strategic communications, public relations, and social impact advisory services to international development organizations, NGOs, foundations, and Africa-focused enterprises on a project-based engagement model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Technology & B2B PR (MPAAADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technology & B2B PR (BPAFADAI)

Keywords

• Strategic communications consulting
• Social impact advisory
• Africa market research
• Public relations services
• Intercultural programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communications Consulting: Project-based consulting engagements providing strategic communications, public relations, media engagement, and messaging development for international development organizations, NGOs, foundations, and social impact organizations. Services include communications audits, strategy development and execution, media relations, event management, content development, and social media training.
2. Social Impact Advisory & Research: Custom advisory services including quantitative and qualitative research, stakeholder engagement, thought leadership positioning, and program development for organizations operating in or investing in Africa.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Baobab Consulting is a global remote-first professional services firm that provides strategic communications, public relations, and social impact advisory services to organizations investing in Africa's growth. Its deliverables include communications audits, strategy development, media relations, event management, content development, social media training, and qualitative/quantitative research on African emerging markets. The firm also produces digital knowledge products such as online courses and research reports.

Product overview

Baobab Consulting operates as a global remote-first consulting firm offering two core service lines: Social Impact Advisory & Research, and Public Relations & Strategic Communications. The Social Impact Advisory service provides research and consulting leveraging local African networks for emerging market insights. The Strategic Communications service offers a comprehensive suite including communications audits, strategy development and execution, training and capacity building, media relations, event management, content writing, and social media management. Beyond consulting, Baobab also produces educational products including an online course on drug policy hosted on Thinkific, and publishes research reports such as the Remote Education Report and Remote Work Report available through Gumroad. The company also delivers customized social media training programs for organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Social Impact Advisory & Research Advisory and research service leveraging extensive networks and local presence within African communities and the diaspora to deliver quantitative and qualitative research insights on African emerging markets and the global landscape. For international development organizations, NGOs, foundations, and government agencies investing in Africa.
• Public Relations & Strategic Communications Strategic communications and PR service with over 25 years of combined experience advancing global development and social impact goals in Africa. Includes communications audits, strategy development and execution, training, media relations, event management, content writing, and social media management. For international development organizations, NGOs, foundations, government agencies, and Africa-focused enterprises.
• Social Media Training Programs Customized training programs covering social media analytics, audience analysis, content planning, scheduling, messaging best practices, and social media analytics. Includes Social Media for Compliance 101 (general) and Social Media for Compliance 201 (advanced workshop). For organizations building internal communications capacity.
• Human Rights and Drug Policies in Africa (Online Course) Complete online course on drug policy produced for Open Society Foundation and Université Gaston Berger, built on the Thinkific platform. Features 41 recorded lectures with bilingual access and hosts over 300 active learners.
• Remote Education Report Research report providing deep insights into the remote education landscape and offering tools for educators to adopt and adapt to changes in the educational sector. Sold as a digital report via Gumroad.
• Remote Work Report Comprehensive guide report exploring the future of work. Sold as a digital report via Gumroad.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30 journalists attended Women Deliver launch event with coverage on major African media platforms including Africa24, Seneweb, and West Africa Democracy Radio
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Université Gaston BergercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership with Université Gaston Berger in St Louis, Senegal to produce online course for Open Society Foundation's 'Human Rights and Drug Policies in Africa' program. Baobab coordinated recordings, provided translation services for bilingual access, and continues to oversee platform operations. Over 300 active learners currently on the platform.
• African Diaspora Network (ADN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Ongoing partnership since 2019 supporting African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS) in Silicon Valley. Secured media partnerships with All Africa and The Africa Report, secured coverage in New York Times and other major outlets. Also supported ADN's Builders of Africa's Future fellowship program, sponsored by U.S. African Development Foundation, which awards mentorship, training and funding to 30+ African entrepreneurs.
• Spotlight InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership with UN/European Union Spotlight Initiative to organize private screenings of Milkmaid Movie at World Bank and United Nations, curating guestlists of entertainment industry representatives, diplomats, business leaders, and policymakers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Purpose: Social impact communications and strategy agency that builds campaigns, narratives, and movements for NGOs, foundations, and progressive brands — comparable in blending comms, research, and impact-oriented strategy for B2B mission clients.
• Burness: Strategic communications firm working with foundations, NGOs, and mission-driven organizations on media, messaging, and campaign execution — comparable in social-impact client base and project-based comms delivery.
• Portland Communications: Strategic communications consultancy with deep Africa and emerging-markets expertise advising corporates, governments, and NGOs on policy and public affairs — comparable in Africa-focus, advisory framing, and B2B client base.
• Fenton Communications: Public interest communications agency serving foundations, advocacy groups, and nonprofits on social-impact narrative and campaign strategy — comparable in mission-driven PR services for the social sector.
• Africa Practice: Africa-focused strategic communications and advisory firm serving multinationals, governments, and NGOs with reputation, policy, and stakeholder engagement services — the closest direct comparable to Baobab in mission, geography, and client mix.
• M+R Strategy: Communications, marketing, and digital agency focused exclusively on nonprofits, foundations, and advocacy organizations — comparable in nonprofit-sector specialization and integrated comms offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Brunswick Group: Global strategic communications advisor focused on critical issues, public affairs, and stakeholder engagement — comparable in advisory-style communications for institutional clients, but at global incumbent scale.
• FleishmanHillard: Global public relations and communications agency with public affairs, social impact, and Africa-relevant mandates — comparable in integrated strategic comms for institutional clients, but operating at global incumbent scale.
• Weber Shandwick: Global top-tier PR network with a dedicated Africa practice serving multinationals, governments, and NGOs — overlaps with Baobab in strategic comms but competes from a global incumbent position with vastly larger scale.
• Ogilvy Africa: Pan-African advertising, PR, and communications network with offices across the continent — comparable in Africa-focused client work and communications offerings, but as a large incumbent rather than a boutique.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/baobabglobal
• Facebookfacebook.com/baobabconsulting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/baobab-consultingteam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Baobab Consulting