Africa

Africa is emerging from last year’s slump, but slow growth of its largest economies is impeding recovery for many of its corporates.   

In the following pages we explore some of Africa’s contradictions. Eighty percent of Africans are unbanked; at the same time seven of the world’s fastest-growing economies are in this region.

African nations seek to scale the value ladder, moving beyond cheap labor and commodity exports. That takes steely commitment.  

The fintech sector is heating up across sub-Saharan Africa. Foreign investors are paying close attention and providing start-ups with the capital needed to get off the ground.  

Off-grid solar technology will be crucial to meet the energy needs of the 650 million Africans without reliable access to electric power.    

Infrastructure and economic development needs are challenging countries to provide jobs, as urban growth is poised to surge over the next decade.      

With major multinationals scaling back in Africa, regional players of all sizes are embracing the opportunities left behind.  

Priscillah Mabelane is the first black woman in history to head a multinational oil major.

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.

Mauritius wants foreign direct investment, but investors should consider the economic shift currently underway toward the ocean economy.

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. 

Vinod Madhavan, Head, Transactional Products & Services for Standard Bank Africa at SIBOS 2016 Geneva talks with Global Finance Editor Andrea Fiano.

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. 

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.