Trust Before Contracts

Trust Before Contracts

Why Deals in Africa Begin Long Before Paper

In Africa, a contract is never the beginning.

It is the result.

Those who believe that a deal starts with a document, a stamp, or a signature often fail to understand why things do not work “as expected.”

It is not that rules do not exist here.

It is that the first rules are never written on paper.

In Africa, a deal begins long before the word deal is ever spoken.

Trust as a Precondition, Not a Result

In Western and highly formalized systems, trust often comes after the contract:

signature → obligation → trust.

In Africa, the order is reversed:

trust → presence → behavior → and only then — paper.

Here, people observe:

how you enter a room

whom you listen to and whom you interrupt

how you wait

what you do when you are not asking for anything

If you are not “read” correctly at this stage, the contract means nothing.

Presence Before Words

African business reality is deeply tied to human experience.

First, you must be seen —

not as a partner, but as a person.

Trust often forms through:

silent sitting

informal meetings

returning a second time

or simply not rushing

Here, time is not a wasted resource.

Time is a test.

Those who fail this test do not move to the next stage.

Why Fast Paper Creates Suspicion

A quickly presented contract often raises doubt.

Not because the document is flawed,

but because the context has not yet matured.

Unspoken questions are always present:

Why is he rushing?

What is he hiding?

What will he do when things become difficult?

Will he stay, or will he disappear?

These questions are never answered by a contract.

They are answered through behavior.

Trust as Social Capital

In Africa, trust is not an individual matter.

It is collective.

When one person trusts you,

it means someone has placed their reputation on the line for you.

That is why trust here:

forms slowly

roots deeply

and when broken, always goes beyond a single individual

In this environment, the contract is only the form.

Trust is the substance.

When Paper Finally Works

When a contract finally appears in Africa,

it is not late —

it is protected.

By then:

people know each other

they understand how one another reacts under pressure

they share experience

and an invisible agreement already exists

At this stage, paper no longer creates trust.

It simply records what already lives.

Conclusion

In Africa, a successful deal does not begin with a signature.

It begins with patience.

With presence.

With silence.

And with the ability not to demand everything at once.

Those who understand this reach a simple truth:

Trust comes before contracts.

Paper comes last.

— Vakhtang Imerlishvili  

Diplomatic Analyst | Africa & Middle East