“There is power in numbers and there is power in unity.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
You must have people who broaden your worldview. Who help you connect the dots between different ideas and thoughts floating in your mind but not quite landing. I had one such conversation last week with a friend of mine in the agriculture sector—someone I really admire. He was sharing his thoughts on what would unlock the sector, and he said something so simple yet so profound: aggregators are the key. That stayed with me.
Nigeria has millions of smallholder farmers—estimated to be about 70-80% of the farming population—producing most of the country’s staple foods. Yet, despite vast arable land, agricultural productivity remains low – fragmentation being a root cause, alongside other issues like limited access to quality inputs and poor infrastructure. The same challenge exists in many industries. Numbers alone don’t create power—only structured aggregation does.
Three things you achieve with (smart) aggregation:
- Influence: Aggregation enables influence by bringing people together into structured groups or clusters. Millions of smallholder farmers, individually have little bargaining power, but a cooperative of just 10,000? That’s leverage. A group of businesses pooling demand can negotiate better prices from suppliers. In politics, power brokers don’t rise just because they have good ideas—they control voting blocs. They negotiate from a position of strength, because numbers, when structured, dictate terms.
- Recognition: Numbers—when aggregated—demand attention. When people act collectively, their presence must be recognized. Every year, during Lent or the holy month of Ramadan, workplaces adjust, brands release special products, and global attention shifts – because millions of people are acting in unison. Contrast this with the fact that millions of people fast at various times throughout the year, yet it doesn’t create the same widespread recognition. Structured aggregation creates visibility. It’s the same principle that drives large-scale protests, industry coalitions, and coordinated advocacy efforts.
- Resilience: Aggregation isn’t just about influence or recognition—it’s also about survival, especially in times of crisis. The UK’s experience post Brexit experience is a case in point. By leaving the European Union – a shared economic and political power base – the UK became more vulnerable to economic shocks. Resilience is harder when you stand alone. This applies not just to nations or trading partners but across industries and even in our personal lives.
I participate in too many discussions where the concept of aggregation is often dismissed. We believe we can “go it alone”. Shared services are an alien concept – unless mandated by regulators, and even then, we resist. At the core of our resistance is a lack of trust. Perhaps we need to understand why mistrust runs so deep – and how we can change it. Until then, fragmentation will keep limiting our potential.
So, how can you practically leverage the concept of aggregation today? Who can you collaborate with? Where can you tap into existing structures to accelerate progress instead of starting from scratch? How can you bring together others working on very similar efforts to explore collective action? Would love to hear your reflections.
Yours in possibilities,
TKO