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Browsing: Africa’s Economy
- The primary purpose of the OAU was to promote the unity and solidarity of newly independent African states.
- Agenda 2063 is an economic master plan to transform Africa into a global powerhouse within the next decades.
- The AfCFTA is the world’s largest free trade area that unites an entire continent and eight Regional Economic Communities.
Every year on 25th May, the world celebrates Africa Day, a special occasion that commemorates the foundation of the continent’s most development-oriented organization, the African Union.
African Union has been advocating for continuous economic development and has achieved notable milestones. To commemorate Africa Day, we shall be taking you down memory lane highlighting AU’s role in championing the continent’s growth. (https://artandhistory.org/)
Flashback: the journey to Africa Day
At the height of political and social freedom, 32 African countries met on 25th May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to form a front for economic …
- African Hidden Champions (AHC) is an initiative that seeks to showcase exceptional growth stories of unique African startups.
- The AHC initiative has led to several breakthroughs for various African startups.
- AfDB and AHC partnership is a stepping stone that would provide financial inclusion and regional industrialization.
AfDB has announced a new partnership with the African Hidden Champions to promote and empower local startups.
African Hidden Champions (AHC) is an initiative that seeks to showcase exceptional growth stories of unique African startups. Essentially AHC seeks potentially revolutionary companies that are building Africa’s startups to scale on a global scale.
Africa Foresight Group and German Investment Cooperation co-founded this initiative to shed light on Africa’s potential as a continent. They created AHC for the primary purpose of helping firms on their growth journey by telling their stories, exposing them to new markets and providing funding and technical assistance if need be.
Dr …
African countries have started recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic after most economies shrunk due to the crisis.
The continent is home to over a billion people who live in low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income countries.
The economy in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region is projected to expand by 3.6 per cent in 2022, down from 4 per cent in 2021, according to World Bank.…
Imagine an Africa where farmers can detect parasites in their livestock by a simple scan of a handheld machine. Where road networks allow swift transportation of produce to markets. Where farmers can access finance and be adequately insured against natural disasters by a simple click of a button.
The reality across the continent is one of underdeveloped, underserved rural areas. Women dressed in traditional garb carry buckets of water over long distances. There is no electricity or running water and very little internet access. According to World Bank statistics 56% of Africans live in rural communities. Recent trends have shown a high rural to urban migration rate. This migration has resulted in high urban densities, rising crime rates and overcrowding in the urban areas. Neither of these situations is amenable. Which brings into light the need to empower rural communities to support economic resilience in Africa.
Also Read: COVID-19
The African continent takes pride in its rich natural resources. The continent boasts of a wide range of minerals, oil, gas, and wildlife among many other commodities. Most African economies are heavily dependent on these resources. Revenue for most is mainly commodity-driven for example, Botswana’s diamonds make up 90% of the country's total exports. In Nigeria, oil accounts for more than 80% of exports and Zambia is reliant on its copper mines for 70% of its exports.
In the majority of cases, African countries are net exporters of the raw commodity making them more vulnerable to the price shocks and changes in demand. Facilitating trade within Africa may be the roadmap to unlocking Africa’s economic potential.
Also Read: All eyes on EAC border points as massive delays bite | KenTrade
Two of Africa’s largest trading partners, the US and China, have been dueling for world economic dominance. There
Somaliland economic growth is on the rise despite the country’s unique economic constraints.
Somaliland President Musa Bihi during his annual address to the nation, said in fiscal 2019 its revenue increased by 4.5% which shows the efforts and capabilities of the National Revenue Authority.
“The economy is the basis for the development and transformation of life and society in every country. Therefore, the government is focusing on the development of the Republic and the promotion of the national economy,” Bihi said.
“The GDP growth rate in the UK has increased by 2% in the last two years, whereas the economic growth in Africa is estimated at 3.4% in 2019 by the United Nations. This indicates that Somaliland’s economic growth is on the rise, despite the unique economic constraints of the Republic of Somaliland.”
Also Read: 10 companies revolutionising blockchain technology in Africa
President Bihi said that in 2019, his government …
Chief executives of firms operating in Africa are concerned about weaker than expected growth in revenues in 2020, largely due to policy uncertainty, over-regulation, exchange rate volatility and instability in the global financial markets.
According to A global survey of chief executives released by consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, over 50 per cent of top company executives in Africa see uncertain global economic growth and policy uncertainty as key threats to their continental operations, followed by social instability, geopolitical uncertainty and exchange rate volatility.
The global annual survey seeks to understand the environment in which companies operate globally. Other issues facing Africa’s CEOs are inadequate basic infrastructure, protectionism, cyber threats and tax uncertainty. (Diazepam)
According to the report, 3 per cent of African CEOs say to expect the global growth to remain the same while 53 per cent say it will decline this year and 20 per cent say global …
One of the biggest issues in many African countries is economic inclusion. Regardless of whether we are talking about development, sustainability or natural resources, finding equilibrium between economic growth and social development has been a challenge for both governments and foreign investors alike. One of the most successful ways to create and sustain this equilibrium is through entrepreneurship.
With the majority of African nations diversifying from traditional sources of income, entrepreneurship is increasingly seen as a key to economic growth. FurtherAfrica spoke to Bako Ambianda, a rising star of African entrepreneurship. Born in Cameroon, the son of a politician, Mr. Ambianda started his first small business in Cameroon when he was only 18 years old and never looked back. Today he is the Chairman and CEO of Labacorp Group, an African holding company that he founded, with a diverse portfolio in key economic sectors including renewable energy, …
In addition to the tragic toll on human lives, the coronavirus outbreak in China brings potential economic and market implications for China and beyond. Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity team has been monitoring the situation and weighs in with some thoughts, comparing it to the outbreak of SARS in 2003.
We are closely monitoring the impact on emerging market economies and equity markets from the outbreak of the coronavirus in China and other parts of the world. The situation is at an early stage and is evolving quickly. Both market and macro implications depend on the severity and duration of this epidemic episode.
What We Know So Far
- Since the first cases of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) were notified to the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019, over 4,500 confirmed cases have been reported in China, with over 5,700 suspected cases and 106 deaths.1Based on
Ahead of the Baker McKenzie African Transactional Summit taking place in Johannesburg in May 2019, Baker McKenzie lawyers based in Africa, alongside the Firm’s global Africa specialists, as well as lawyers from our African Relationship Firms from across the continent, share their knowledge about what investors should consider when transacting in Africa.
Accept the uncertainty and gather knowledge
Investors in Africa must consider geo-political and economic uncertainty on the continent as well as a plethora of country and region-specific governance, compliance and regulatory challenges when investing in the region. They must also contend with a critical lack of infrastructure and poor integration when transacting across borders in Africa.
In order to close deals on the continent, investors need access to the right information and data. The success of a transaction depends on having real knowledge instead of relying on market perception. For markets where there is a lack of …