Africa

REGIONAL FOCUS   By Dan Keeler   Perceptions of poverty and corruption have long dogged sub-Saharan African countries looking for investment. But as growing interest in Africa’s economies has morphed into a frenzy of investment, a new perception gap is ...

Africa continues to outperform other emerging markets, but not all of its 54 countries are moving at the same pace when it comes to political, economic and social developments.

As African countries increasingly appear on investors’ radars, the world’s newest country, South Sudan, is forging ahead with its drive to attract foreign investment.

There is a new definition of the emerging markets and their characteristics that confutes many old and accepted axioms; for example, the idea that the cost of labor is cheaper in developing countries, or that governance is more advanced and regulations are more enforced in developed countries.

EMERGING MARKETS ROUNDUP By Antonio Guerrero Despite declining oil output levels in recent years, Chad is expecting to triple production by 2015 as new oilfields near Lake Chad begin operations. Output is forecasted to rise to 200,000 barrels per day ...

ANNUAL SUPPLEMENT: AFRICA 2013   With a stunning twist of fate, companies that are looking for a refuge from the turmoil of recent years in developed markets are turning their attention to the continent that for much of the past ...

ANNUAL SUPPLEMENT: AFRICA 2013   By Dan Keeler   Developed-markets watchers hope tightening trade ties and increasing foreign direct investment will help ease tensions in North Africa.   Two years after the Arab Spring swept through North Africa and beyond, ...

ANNUAL SUPPLEMENT: AFRICA 2013   By Dan Keeler   Innovative financing techniques and growing investor sophistication are prompting a surge of interest in sub-Saharan infrastructure projects.   Sub-Saharan Africa is rapidly turning into the growth and investment story of the ...

ANNUAL SUPPLEMENT: AFRICA 2013   By Erik Heinrich   Africa’s mobile-banking boom is a complicated tale of East versus West. But who’s approach will prove right in the end?   Mobile banking is a force for social and economic change ...

RETURN TO GLORY?
​Côte d’Ivoire has the opportunity to regain its status as a leading African economy. Blessed with a wealth of natural resources, a pleasant climate, a strategical location and a level of infrastructure unrivaled in West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire was long recognized as one of the continent postcolonial stars.

THE RIGHT ROUTE FOR GROWTH By Antionio Guerrero   Nigeria has averaged 7% growth over the past decade. But effectively managing its continued expansion is proving problematic. Infrastructure investment is a key challenge.   The Nigeria stock exchange building in ...

NEW OIL REFINERY TO NEARLY DOUBLE NIGERIA’S OUTPUT   By Antonio Guerrero   Aliko Dangote, head of the Dangote Group and ranked as Africa’s wealthiest man, will invest up to $8 billion to build a new oil refinery complex in his ...

East Africa is a hotbed of new oil and natural gas finds. Most countries are taking a slow and measured approach to developing their resource boon, but will they avoid the resource curse that plagued many early-developers?

By Thomas Clouse, Jonathan Gregson, Antonio Guerrero & Gordon Platt   MOBILE BANKING STIMULATES ECONOMIC GROWTH IN AFRICA Africa is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world for mobile payments. Money transfers using mobile phones will exceed $200 billion in ...

Namibia’s fortunes may be about to change dramatically, as recent surveys have shown its offshore geology could rival the biggest oil discoveries of recent years. But even without its oil prospects, Namibia has quietly established itself as an attractive investment destination. A recent Bloomberg Markets study placed Namibia among the world’s 20 most attractive emerging markets from an investment standpoint.

NEWSMAKERS: KENYA   By Dan Keeler   Kenya appears set to reap a substantial investment dividend in the wake of its largely peaceful presidential election held in early March.     Kenyatta beats his rivals Analysts believe that portfolio flows and foreign ...

CHEVRON BOOSTS ITS INVEST-MENT IN AFRICAN BLACK GOLD   By Antonio Guerrero Global oil group Chevron approved a $5.6 billion development project in Angola.   The Mafumeira Sul offshore oil field will be its second-largest African investment, after the Agbami ...

UP AND RUNNING   By Dan Keeler   Having regained its footing in the wake of the financial crisis, Angola is now looking to erect a fairer, more balanced economy.   As it continues to rebuild its economy and society ...

STAKING ITS CLAIM   By Dan Keeler   A history of stability, a growing middle class and a rapidly expanding economy are among the key assets of this West African gem.   Photo Credits: REUTERS / YAW BIBINI Ghana has ...

MILESTONES: AFRICA   By Alfred Sayila   With member states’ foreign exchange reserves reaching a record $112 billion in 12 years, countries in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), Africa’s leading trade body, may soon have a cheap new ...