When Ayan Abdirashid Ali's family set up shop in a suburban Adelaide street, their intention was to give Australians from multicultural backgrounds a taste of home right in their backyard.
It took barely any time at all for their business — which stocks and sells everything from hair products to furniture to traditional African fabric — to find an eager market.
"We started this business in the middle of 2007, when no other African shop was open here in South Australia," Ms Abdirashid Ali said.
"Due to the demand, my mum and dad took it upon themselves to open up a shop and it's been running ever since."
The AfrOz Superstore, also known as the Shukri Store, is nestled away in Adelaide's western suburbs.
The business originally started out in the family's shed but, 16 years later, is now considered a one-stop shop for locals looking for multicultural wares.
It does not just provide goods and services to the African community — Ms Abdirashid Ali says it has a strongly multinational clientele.
"We've been able to make every customer feel welcome and know that they have got products from back home within their reach here in Adelaide," she said.
"We've got Australian customers who come in for clothing and hair products as well.
"We find that a lot of Indian customers will come in, we've got a lot of Filipino and other Asian customers [who] come in for the food."
Filling the research gap
The Woodville Gardens outlet is one of a growing but untold number of businesses in Australia that are run by people from African communities.
A lack of research means there is often little-to-no data to demonstrate their contribution to the national economy.
Sociologist Farida Fozdar from Perth's Curtin University is hoping to change that.
"What we've seen, anecdotally, is that many communities, and particularly those of African backgrounds, are taking active steps both to be engaged politically … but also, particularly, in the area of business," she said.
Professor Fozdar has teamed up with six other universities around the country to look into the positive impact of migrant businesses.
Most of the studies looking into the African-Australian community usually focus on a completely different angle.
"Often the research that has been undertaken has looked at people's access to the welfare system and unemployment issues, rather than focusing on the contribution that some of these communities are making," she said.
Her hope is to collect positive stories, examples and experiences in a systematic way.
"This will challenge the predominant narrative of a community that needs more help than it provides," she said.
Professor Fozdar's work is part of the Australian Research Council's Discovery Project and has received a grant of $435,304, with PhD scholarships available as part of the research.
The project will run for two years and hopes to work as a guide for future government policies and engagement.
'Something to make Australia proud'
In Sydney's inner city suburb of Newtown, a small Nigerian restaurant is living proof of the kinds of business Professor Fozdar is searching for.
Little Lagos owner Ade Adeniyi wants to create a place for Africans to enjoy food from the continent, at the same time as inviting other Australians to the table.
"That's the whole point of this business. It's for people to connect to their culture, to their tradition [and] to bring their friends."
Little Lagos started out as a food truck in 2017 but, since 2019, has been operating from a permanent shop and turnover has increased significantly.
"In the first two years of trading we were sitting around $20,000 to $30,000," Mr Adeniyi said.
"But we've looked at the numbers for 2023, and now we've crossed over the million mark which means that we are consistently growing."
Mr Adeniyi said Professor Fozdar's new research project was important for representation, and to challenge negative narratives.
"Every time I turn on the TV — I don't want to hear about gangs in Adelaide or gangs in Melbourne," he said.
"I want to hear about young black business owners. I want to hear about African artists, African Australian musicians who are doing something to improve the society, who are doing something to make Australia proud."
These are sentiments with which Ms Abdirashid Ali wholeheartedly agrees.
"It's incredibly important in terms of representation," she said of the research project.
"[We're] making it known that African communities do exist here in Australia and that they do contribute positively."
