Monday, September 30

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Bboxx Power solar panel installation
  • With its multiple technologies, Bboxx is trailblazing in the green energy space, scaling its operations across Africa and projecting to offset over 20 million tonnes of CO2.
  • Bboxx has been awarded Gold Standard certification for carbon credit programs based on solar home systems, clean cooking alternatives, and solar-powered water pumps.
  • Implementing carbon programs allows Bboxx to accelerate market growth potential by reaching over 4 million customers in five African countries.

Rwanda-based Bboxx plans to offset over 20 million tonnes of carbon and generate $100 million worth of carbon credits through clean energy projects in Africa.

In this initiative, Bboxx projects to positively impact the lives of over four million customers across Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria, Togo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

These revelations follow Bboxx’s recognition with the Gold Standard certification for its continued rollout of clean energy projects in five African countries. This certification marks a vital moment

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Kenya's Private Equity Deals
  • Kenya’s private equity deals size are expected to remain modest this year.
  • However, despite the high optimism, deal sizes in East Africa are expected to remain modest.
  • However, businesses are concerned that firms will be scouting for exits, too.

Kenya and its East Africa peers are confident that the fundraising environment for businesses will continue improving in the next 12 months even as the continent experiences mixed expectations.

New findings by Audit firm Deloitte show that while East and West Africans largely anticipate an improvement, opinions in North and Southern Africa are divided, with some expecting improvements, others predicting stagnation, and some foreseeing deterioration.

This outlook comes against the backdrop of persistent high interest rates, inflation, and geopolitical uncertainty, which led to a 9 per cent drop in finalized funds year-on-year in 2023.

The Deloitte Africa Private Equity Confidence Survey 2024, shows that in East Africa, optimism is on …

Vietnamese investors

The opulent and contemporary Downtown Dubai is a global attraction for Vietnamese investors. It is a lively neighbourhood that was built by Emaar Properties and contains some of the most famous structures in the world such as Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall; therefore, it is an ideal place for investing in property. In this article, we will look at different kinds of real estate in Downtown Dubai which are attractive to Vietnamese buyers.

Overview of Downtown Dubai

Situated between Sheikh Zayed Road and Financial Centre Road, the Downtown Dubai neighbourhood is a mixed-use development located at the centre of the city. This area contains everything; residential, commercial, and leisure spaces for both residents and visitors. The tall skyscrapers, luxury apartments, and top-notch facilities define this as among the best areas to invest in Dubai property-wise.

Types of Properties Available

Apartments

Downtown Dubai provides a broad choice of luxury apartments that …

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a nation on the African continent’s western coast. www.theexchange.africa

Trading economics’ global macro models and experts’ forecasts indicate Equatorial Guinea’s GDP could reach $12.6 billion by the end of 2022. As such, the long-term trend for the GDP of Equatorial Guinea is anticipated to be about $13 billion by 2023.

Historically, the economy of Equatorial Guinea relied on three commodities: cocoa, coffee, and lumber. However, the discovery and exploitation of petroleum and natural gas in the 1980s radically altered the country’s economic character. As a result, more than four-fifths of Equatorial Guinea’s GDP currently derives from petroleum exports. Nevertheless, the majority of people’s level of living has not changed considerably, and farming remains the predominant source of income.

Nevertheless, the Equatoguinean domestic economy is small, with an estimated population of 1.2 million, despite the country’s membership in the Central African Monetary and Economic Union (CEMAC) sub-region, which comprises more than 50 million people. Notably, the region has a central…

Trucks loaded with logs in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic. www.theexchange.africa

The Central African Republic was the 186th largest exporter in the world in 2020 with a total export value of US$127 million. The country's exports decreased by US$26.1 million over the past five reported years, from US$153 million in 2015 to US$127 million in 2020.

Rough wood which contributed US$51.9 million in export earnings, gold (US$34.7 million), diamonds (US$14.7 million), sawn wood (US$9.55 million) and refined copper (US$6.66 million) are the most recent export leaders. China (US$50.8 million), the United Arab Emirates (US$37.3 million), Italy (US$12.2 million), Belgium (US$6.84 million), and France (US$4.5 million) are the Central African Republic's top export markets.…

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Kigali 1

Rwanda’s economy is one of the fastest growing in Africa. It has a ready market of over 12 million people with a rapidly growing middle class.

  • Rwanda’s economy is one of the fastest growing in Africa, with a ready market of over 12 million people and a rapidly growing middle class
  • Potential investment opportunities are in agriculture, infrastructure, energy, tourism, information and communication technology
  • Rwanda has an array of investment incentives for investors ready to invest in the key priority sectors, including a seven-year tax holiday for those investing over US$50 million
According to the African Development Bank Group, the country recorded a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 10 per cent in 2021. The growth was driven by expansion in services (12 per cent), industry (13 per cent), and agriculture (6 per cent). In 2022 and 2023, GDP growth is projected at 6.9 per cent and 7.9 per
A new assessment carried out by the World Bank has forecast that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) stands to boost Africa's income by US$450 billion by 2035, representing a gain of 7 per cent to the continent's revenue while adding US$76 billion to the income of the rest of the world. www.theexchange.africa

If fully implemented, AfCFTA could speed up wage growth for women and lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty by 2035, the World Bank report has found.

An article by Namibia Economist, dated July 29, 2022, suggests that achieving these gains will be particularly important given the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is expected to cause up to US$79 billion in output losses in Africa from 2020.

  • Real income gains from full implementation of the AfCFTA agreement could increase by 7 per cent, or nearly US$450 billion by 2035.
  • AfCFTA would significantly boost African trade, particularly intra-regional trade in manufacturing.
  • Manufacturing exports would gain the most, 62 per cent overall, with intra-Africa trade increasing by 110 per cent and exports to the rest of the world rising by 46 per cent.

COVID-19 has caused major disruptions to trade across the continent, including critical goods such as…

Transnet crisis opportunities for financiers

Transnet Freight Rail, the South African rail logistics giant has few admirers lately. It has disappointed nearly all who rely on it to haul goods from where they are produced to where they are needed.

Infrastructure is critical for the flow of goods and services in an economy. Countries that have efficient infrastructure tend to find that goods and services flow relatively easily and, in a cost-efficient manner relative to their peers whose infrastructure is not in the same condition.

Where infrastructure is not optimally developed there, tend to be bottlenecks and constrictions that hamper the flow of goods and services in an economy. This is so important because you can almost predict how well an economy can and will perform from the state of its infrastructure.

Logistics are central to economic activity anywhere. This component of a country’s infrastructure needs to be in tip-top shape to support the businesses…

Kengen Toshiba Operations agreement
  • KenGen and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation have concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU), paving the way for a new partnership
  • The two parties said the MoU focuses on an Operation and Maintenance (O&M) services partnership for geothermal power plants in developing countries, including East African countries
  • This will be done through a combination of KenGen and Toshiba ESS’s know-how and networks. The MoU was signed during TICAD 8 held in Tunisia on August 27 and 28

Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen) and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation have concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU), paving the way for a new partnership.

On August 31, 2022, the two parties said the MoU focuses on an Operation and Maintenance (O&M) services partnership for geothermal power plants in developing countries, including East African countries.

This will be done through a combination of KenGen and Toshiba ESS’s know-how and networks. …

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