Africa

Patrick Akinwuntan, group executive director of Ecobank Transnational, explains the bank’s plans to use mobile technology to vastly expand its customer base in the 33  African countries in which it operates

Sim Tshabalala, joint group chief executive of Standard Bank, explains how the continent’s biggest bank will benefit from Africa’s coming renewal.

New approach to funding fills gaps for African entrepreneurs with strong networks and solid track records.  

Global Finance Magazine’s 2017 rankings of the best banks in Africa. 

South Africa’s new minister of Finance, Malusi Gigaba, whose appointment brought on ratings agency downgrades, faces low confidence and slow growth.

With its currency battered and government revenue down to historic lows, Angola, Africa’s largest oil producer, must now address the fundamental causes of its macroeconomic imbalances. 

Collection troubles and resource dependency hamper African governmental efforts to raise revenue. 

While on a road show for US clients, Bryan Leith, chief operating officer of KPMG’s global Africa practice, sat down with Global Finance to discuss the continent’s economic prospects. 

UK-based Barclays has reduced its shareholding in Johannesburg-listed Barclays Africa from 62.3% to 50.1% this year and is believed to be seeking to reduce that stake further to around 20%.

The prolonged downturn in oil and other commodity prices has pushed petrochemical and mining firms out of the Global Finance rankings of the best-performing companies in sub-Saharan Africa this year.    

What has changed in Africa in the past year? The precipitous drop in commodity prices threatened the progress made during two decades of tremendous growth, driving diversification efforts.

Africa's enormous potential for growth is hampered by its citizens' lack of access to banking.

South Africa's growth is impeded by long-term constraints; still, the government deserves credit for tackling reforms. 

Our annual special coverage focusing on sub-Saharan Africa. 

Foreign-currency bonds offer needed resources but come with heavy risks. 

With a wealth of cultivable land, Africa seeks to develop agriculture.

Ethiopia actively courts and sincerely welcomes foreign direct investment, but its early stage of development presents challenges.

China’s recent efforts to make it easier for global investors to access its enormous stock markets in Shanghai and Shenzhen were not enough to persuade MSCI to include these “China A shares” in its widely followed Emerging Markets Index just yet.

With each country responding differently to the commodities crash, Africa showcases a range of mitigating efforts, with varying success.

Zambia offers a range of advantages and opportunities for foreign investors, but they may want to wait awhile until some risks play out.