Browsing: investment

AIM Global 2023

In UAE, a fresh deal to promote startups launched

Countries
  • The Annual Investment Meeting and Emirates Angel Investors Association agree to turn UAE into a thriving base for startups.
  • The collaboration is expected to create a positive impact on the United Arab Emirates’ startup ecosystem. 
  • The partnership will link startups with a wide network of investors, as well as the necessary resources and mentorship.

The Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) and Emirates Angel Investors Association (EAIA) have joined forces to strengthen their efforts towards promoting startups. The collaboration between AIM and EAIA is expected to create a positive impact on the United Arab Emirates’ startup ecosystem. The UAE has been a fertile base for establishment and growth of startups. 

The partnership will provide startups with access to a wide network of investors. Benefitting entrepreneurs will also access necessary resources and mentorship to help them grow and succeed.

Commenting on the partnership, Director General of AIM Walid A. Farghal said, “The purpose …

IMF, International Monetary Fund

Tanzania’s New Investment Act: “Same – Same but Different”

Countries

The New Tanzania Investment Act 2022 has now become law replacing the Tanzania Investment Act Cap 38 RE 2015 and its amendments. While there was an expectation for major changes, the reality is that the new Act is more or less the same as the previous minus a few differences outlined below:

1. The Act is in the Kiswahili language and there is no translation of the same in English.

2. Removal of the automatic immigration quota of 5 work and residence permits for expatriates workers. While previously an investor registered at the TIC would be allowed up to 5 immigration permits and this was typically used for investors’ strategic employees, this incentive is removed which means there is no guarantee for the investor to obtain immigration permits for its strategic employees who will be treated like every other applicant.

3. Local Investors ie Tanzania nationals or companies

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South Africa economic outlook 2022

South Africa economic outlook 2022

Countries

In terms of the fiscus, South Africa expects to run a deficit of -4.1 per cent in 2023, however, the deficit is expected to narrow for the next 3 years closing 2026 at -3.6 per cent. This demonstrates significant fiscal consolidation.

Over the next 3 years the South African government expects to consolidate its public finances and reduce its deficit by inter alia increasing revenues and or managing or containing costs. According to Investec, “The current fiscal year (2022/23) has seen a substantial boost to nominal (actual) GDP due to high inflation, which has eased both the fiscal debt and deficit projections as a per cent of GDP, although does not boost real GDP, which is the measure of the country’s growth and has the distorting effect of inflation removed.”

Among countries in Africa, South Africa is getting its public financial act together. The country is paying down its debts,…

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Listing of companies on stock exchanges. www.theexchange.africa

VFEX sees listings uptick after initial slow start

Investing

Fast food giant, Simbisa Brands Ltd., the firm that controls high-profile restaurant chains across African markets, spurred its planned VFEX listing, notifying investors in a comprehensive roadmap that the deal may be through by December 2, 2022.

Simbisa, which has risen from its Zimbabwean roots to establish a formidable African network, executes its strategy through a string of high-end hospitality brands that include the flagship Chicken Inn, Pizza Inn, Creamy Inn and Bakers Inn, one of the country’s biggest bread producers.

It also holds the franchises for quick service restaurant chain; Rocomamas, Nandos and Steers, along with Galito

In a statement that disclosed Simbisa’s rationale to switch from the ZSE, the firm’s board rallied shareholders to give an emphatic nod to the transaction at an extraordinary general meeting scheduled for November 18, 2022.…

Cabo Verde sovereign debt and economic profile

Cabo Verde sovereign debt and economic profile

Countries

Cabo Verde is one of those countries one hardly gets to hear about.

The country is an archipelago of 10 islands off West Africa's coast in the Atlantic Ocean. The country is fascinating economically and politically. According to the World Bank, “Cabo Verde is considered an example of democracy in Africa, much for its political stability.

Electoral processes have been held regularly, with peaceful alternation of power between the two major parties. The left-wing African Party for the Independence of Cabo Verde (PAICV), which headed colonial liberation, governed for two 15-year periods (1975-1991 and 2001-2016).

  • Cabo Verde is an exceptional country. It is exemplary. This accolade is because of the country’s stability both economically and politically. The country holds elections regularly and has peaceful transitions of power between the various players in its political matrix.
  • Cabo Verde has a population of 491,233 according to statistics from a census conducted in
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Financial Literacy in Africa

Time ripe to invest in Africa’s financial literacy

Investing

Enhancing financial literacy is only one of the numerous ways Africa’s youth may be prepared for the future. Stakeholders must simplify financial literacy education and make it practical. Without simplified and functional financial literacy, one could fall victim to the prevailing financial challenges in a highly changing world marked by technological advancements. Improving financial literacy in Africa’s youth will help improve financial inclusion.…

Investing during a recession. The Strategy

Strategies for investing during a global recession

Investing

In times of economic volatility like during a recession cash king. Cash provides investors with a buffer to absorb the shocks that may comes from a bad economy but also the ability to take full advantage of the opportunities that are sure to arise as investors run for the doors.

Shrewd investors who realize this will always make cash or dry powder provisions in their investment portfolios. They do this by keeping cash in their brokerage or bank accounts or investing in near-cash securities like money market accounts and certificates of deposits.

Cash is important because in a recession good quality securities and investments can be bought for knockdown or bargain basement prices. This can only be realized if an investor to begin with did not lose their nerve at the prospect of a recession and secondly decided to keep a significant portion of their portfolio in cash.…

Revenues from the booming oil sector are transforming Chad into an attractive place for businesses and trades. www.theexchange.africa

Chad’s oil well-positioned to attract more investment

Industry and Trade

The major petroleum groups had long been reluctant to become involved in Chadian oil fields. The fields in the central/western and northern parts of the country were located in areas of chronic insecurity.

Then, an unprecedented arrangement was made. The World Bank agreed to finance using public funds. The pipeline would later allow the private operators Exxon, Chevron, and Petronas to transport their crude oil to the Cameroonian port of Kribi. This would enable shipping to European or American refineries, where the oil could be offered on the market at prices that the cost of the transport infrastructure would not burden.

Chad faces military challenges on most of its borders which should be factored as a risk. In the west, in the region of Lake Chad, the army has been fighting the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram since 2015. On the border with Sudan, Eastern Chad has seen conflicts between…

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Logistics and supply chain infrastructure improves trade links across diverse African economies. www.theexchange.africa

Logistics and supply chain infrastructure development impact on Africa

Industry and Trade

The difficulty of transferring commodities throughout Africa is not new to the continent. It is currently a key impediment to the AfCFTA's prospects, especially in building regional industrial supply chain clusters. Africa's massive infrastructure deficit has hindered regional trade and economic integration for decades, notably in transportation and supply chain fragmentation.

Some parts of the continent, specifically areas surrounding East African nations, do far better in cross-border movement and trade. However, most African countries fare poorly on metrics such as cross-border clearance processes. According to the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index, the regions also struggle with trade quality, infrastructure, inconsistent tax regimes, and consignment trace and track techniques.

Digitalisation in Africa's logistics industry will address some of these difficulties. Furthermore, the development of digital logistics startups has aided in the facilitation of connection, which is critical to the movement of commodities within the area and across borders.…

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Monetary and fiscal policy are two powerful tools that governments use to steer economies. www.theexchange.africa

Africa: how countries can manage the rising monetary and fiscal policy constraints

Business

Countries must continue to work to mitigate their vulnerabilities over time. This involves minimizing balance-sheet misalignments, establishing money and foreign exchange markets, and lowering exchange rate passthrough by increasing monetary policy credibility.

However, in the short term—while vulnerabilities remain high—the use of extra instruments may assist relieve short-term policy trade-offs when certain shocks occur. In particular, foreign exchange intervention, macroprudential policy measures, and capital flow controls may help increase monetary and fiscal policy autonomy, promote financial and price stability, and minimize output volatility if reserves are enough and these instruments are available.…