Mood swings have become the norm when it comes to the potential of the African continent. Pre 1990’s was described as the dark days of Africa. Post-1990 into the early decades of this 21st century saw an uproar and cheers all over the world for the continent as the next big thing to happen. After…
Actis, an investment firm specializing in growth markets, recently made a significant investment in Medis Group, a branded generic pharmaceuticals business based in North Africa. Medis was the first pharmaceutical company to launch sterile products in North Africa, and is responsible for building one of the first oncology laboratories on the continent. The company plans…
African tech startups received a total of over 185 million USD over the course of 2015. A significant proportion of this investment was dedicated to “social enterprises”, i.e. profit-making companies with social impact as their main goal. Some African entrepreneurs have voiced concern over the disproportionate amount of funding and attention given to these social…
Africa has become the second-most popular investment destination worldwide, attracting a record 87 billion USD in foreign direct investment over the course of 2014. The capital value of FDI projects in Africa in 2015 was down slightly, to 71.3 billion USD. However, this still represented a significant increase over the 2010-2014 average of 68 billion…
An estimated 2.29 billion USD has been invested into Africa’s renewable energy sector, according to data provided by the Clean Energy Pipeline. The drive to invest in not only renewable energy, but infrastructure, agriculture, natural resources and other key sectors in Africa is largely due to the continent’s rapid population growth and increasing urbanisation rates,…
Middle Eastern investors have a history of being able to unearth prime investment opportunities in growth markets, including Africa. The strong trend of Middle Eastern investors deploying capital in various African sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, natural resources, and oil and gas can be seen in the major recent investments made by regional investment entities. Abraaj…
Earlier this month, representatives from 90 Chinese companies attended a seminar promoting investment in Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique and Ethiopia. Chinese investors gained awareness of the opportunities available in these four African countries, and joined discussions on potential investment projects. Senior government officials from the four African countries provided Chinese investors with information on their national…
Chinese capital is increasingly finding its way to opportunities in North Africa. In the Egyptian market alone, investments by Chinese entities reached over 5 billion USD last year, with trade between China and Egypt reaching 12.9 billion USD, a 10 percent increase over 2014. According to the Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion…
The world’s wealthy have not lost their appetite for real estate investment prospects, according to two recent studies: one by Savills and Weatherill Consulting, and another by Sotheby’s International Realty and Wealth-X. It’s easy to see why real estate continues to appeal to the rich. Real estate rebounded faster than other asset classes in the…