Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa has experienced notable fluctuations in recent years.

In 2021, FDI flows into Africa reached a record $83 billion, more than double the prior year.

However, FDI declined to $45 billion in 2022, reflecting both post-pandemic adjustments and global economic uncertainties.

Despite this drop, specific countries continue to stand out; for instance, Egypt more than doubled its FDI inflows to $11 billion in 2022.

South Africa was the continent’s largest FDI recipient in 2021, attracting over $40.9 billion.

Other significant recipients include Mozambique and Egypt (about $5.1 billion each), Nigeria (5.8% of Africa’s FDI), and Ethiopia (5.1%) .

Africa’s share of global FDI is modest, representing approximately 3.5% in 2022.

However, investment project announcements and greenfield investments signal longer-term optimism.

Energy and gas supply saw dramatic increases in new project announcements—from $24 billion in 2021 to $120 billion in 2022—while construction and extractive industries also remained prominent with fresh investments of $24 billion and $21 billion, respectively.

The region benefits from increased investment activity not only from traditional partners such as the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands, but also from newer and rapidly growing sources including China, India, and Gulf states like the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Regional blocs such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WEMU), and the East African Community are playing key roles in channeling and attracting these investments .

A significant policy framework influencing investment is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), launched in 2021.

AfCFTA aims to create a single market of 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion.

The agreement is expected to increase intra-African investment as well as foreign participation, and projections indicate that, by 2050, African consumer and business spending could reach $16.12 trillion—a figure often cited by investors as a rationale for current positioning on the continent .

Geographically, FDI is concentrated in a handful of countries and regions.

South Africa remains a dominant recipient due to its diversified economy and capital markets.

North African countries such as Egypt have also attracted significant inflows, largely due to large-scale infrastructure and energy schemes.

Mozambique, Nigeria, and Ethiopia are consistently among the top destinations, drawing attention for their natural resource endowments and demographic growth.

Meanwhile, Ghana, Angola, Senegal, and Mozambique are emerging as hotspots for renewable energy investment, setting ambitious targets for green energy expansion.

Additionally, Zimbabwe and Zambia are increasingly on foreign investors’ radar because of their critical mining resources—particularly minerals required for battery technology and clean energy, such as platinum, lithium, copper, and cobalt .

Key industrial sectors for foreign investment are evolving in line with global and continental trends.

The most prominent sectors include:

Energy:

Investment is strong in both traditional oil and gas and emerging renewables (wind, solar).

Mining: Africa’s reserves of strategic minerals (including those relevant for battery and clean technology) continue to draw FDI.

Financial services: Major banks and insurance companies are expanding, while digital financial services—fintech—are growing rapidly.

Telecommunications/ICT: Foreign companies are investing in mobile connectivity, digital infrastructure, and start-up ecosystems.

Healthcare: Increased demand from growing populations and middle-class expansion is driving investment in hospitals, pharmaceuticals, and adjacent logistics and packaging sectors.

Other emerging sectors include manufacturing, automotive (particularly by Asian companies), electronics, agriculture, ecommerce, and logistics.

The fintech sector is especially noteworthy: revenues from African fintech could reach $30 billion by 2025, and the region’s venture capital ecosystem is growing.

In 2021, African startups recorded 650 venture capital deals amounting to $5.2 billion—a figure that more than doubled from 2020.

While fintech dominates in volume, other technology-driven sectors such as healthcare, e-commerce, and logistics are attracting substantial funding.

Successful African startups—including Flutterwave in Nigeria and M-KOPA in Kenya—illustrate the growing opportunities for entrepreneurial and business-trained graduates .

Major foreign companies actively investing or expanding in Africa come from diverse origins:

China: China is Africa’s leading bilateral investor, having committed $153 billion in loans to public sector borrowers between 2000 and 2019.

While the pace of new loans has slowed, Chinese companies remain heavily involved in infrastructure, industrial parks, and value-added manufacturing, often facilitated through strategic platforms such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Technology companies like Huawei lead technology transfer, training, and telecommunications investments, while Hisense has established manufacturing and training facilities in countries like South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria .

European Union: The UK holds $65 billion in FDI stock in Africa, focusing on oil, gas, mining, and financial services.

France and the Netherlands are active investors across North and West Africa, supporting a range of sectors from extractives to consumer goods.

United States and G7: The US and other G7 nations are increasing activity in Africa, spurred by both competition with China and initiatives such as the Build Back Better World (B3W) plan, which prioritizes digital infrastructure, energy, healthcare, and climate-related investment .

Gulf States: Investors from the UAE and Saudi Arabia are rising in importance, making significant investments across infrastructure, agriculture, real estate, and logistics .

Japan and South Korea: Major automotive and electronics firms such as Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Samsung, and LG have established or expanded manufacturing plants and distribution networks in various African countries .

India: While India’s absolute investment volume is smaller, its companies in pharmaceuticals, ICT, and agriculture are active in East and West Africa .

Skills development and partnership models are a defining feature of recent FDI in Africa, with numerous collaborations targeted specifically at workforce training, technology transfer, and capacity building.

Chinese multinational enterprises have created industrial parks and launched coordinated programs across the continent, with workplaces such as Hisense’s South Africa Industrial Park offering local management and technical training.

Huawei’s Africa-based operations feature dedicated digital talent training, which helps foster local expertise and employment opportunities, particularly in the growing ICT sector.

These public-private partnerships and programs are often explicitly designed to generate new jobs, increase local value addition, and provide knowledge and skills transfer to African workforces .

Renewable and green energy investments are emerging as particularly significant.

Morocco stands out with a $20 billion wind energy export project aimed at the UK, and countries including Ghana, Angola, Senegal, and Mozambique are setting ambitious growth targets for renewables.

The combination of abundant natural resources and growing demand from developed economies for green solutions positions Africa as a potential hub for clean energy, battery manufacturing, and the associated supply chain—including mineral processing in Zimbabwe and Zambia .

African startups and growing companies have also engaged directly with foreign investors, venture capital funds, and accelerators.

Fintech leaders like Flutterwave (Nigeria) and digital finance innovators such as M-KOPA (Kenya), who facilitate solar energy and mobile payments, demonstrate how international capital is fueling African business growth and job creation.

Startups frequently partner with multinationals for funding, mentorship, and market access—giving rise to a dynamic ecosystem where young professionals with business administration backgrounds are in high demand for roles in management, operations, project coordination, marketing, and strategy .

In summary, foreign investment in African countries presents a diversity of opportunities that span regions and sectors.

The focus on renewables, digital finance, telecommunications, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics aligns with major global trends and suggests robust career opportunities for graduates with business and management skills.

Advanced multinational collaborations and the strong role of regional policy frameworks like AfCFTA mean that future African business leaders—especially those equipped with cross-cultural, digital, and management competencies—will be well positioned for success in an increasingly interconnected market.

Africa’s evolving FDI landscape is thus set to generate not only financial inflows and infrastructure but also significant avenues for employment, professional growth, and entrepreneurial ventures.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa has experienced notable fluctuations in recent years.

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Content: FDI flows to North Africa down 5% in 2021
Foreign direct investment to North Africa fell 5 percent to $9.3 billion for the whole of 2021, according to a report on “Investing in the World ” released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on June 9, 2022.
These investments, towards Tunisia, improved slightly from $652 million in 2020 to $660 million in 2021.
The same investment to Morocco increased by 52 percent to 2.2 billion dollars in 2021, compared with a 12 percent drop to 1.5 billion dollars in Egypt.
Despite the decline in these investments in Egypt, it remains the second country to benefit from the inflow of foreign direct investment in Africa.
According to the same report, the flow of foreign direct investment in Africa reached a record level of $83 billion for the whole of 2021, more than double the investment achieved for the whole of 2020.
Despite this significant growth, the flow of investment to Africa in 2021 represented only 5.2 percent of the global total, compared to 4.1 percent in 2020.
Most African countries saw a slight increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2021.
These investments developed in South, East and West Africa, while they maintained their previous levels in Central Africa, while declining in North Africa.
Europeans remain the most important investors in Africa, led by investors from the United Kingdom ($65 billion) and France ($60 billion).
Increased investments in renewable energy
Despite the overall positive trend of foreign direct investment towards Africa, the announcement of new projects remained weak at $39 billion and shows only a weak recovery compared to $32 billion recorded in 2020 and less than $77 billion recorded in 2019.
In parallel, the number of international projects in the field of renewable energies in Africa increased to an estimated 71 projects, almost double the 36 projects completed in 2011.
Among these projects is a $20 billion project that aims to export wind energy to the UK from Morocco.
By laying 3,800 km of submarine cables.

What was the total FDI inflow to Africa in 2022 and how did it compare to 2021?

$45 billion, which was down from $80 billion in 2021

In 2021, FDI flows into Africa reached a record $83 billion, more than double the prior year.

However, FDI declined to $45 billion in 2022, reflecting both post-pandemic adjustments and global economic uncertainties.

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Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
It has reached $11 billion.
UN highlights doubling of foreign direct investment in Egypt
The United Nations Trade and Development Board (UNCTAD) said in its annual report on foreign direct investment flows for the year 2022, on Wednesday in Geneva, that Egypt witnessed an increase in foreign direct investment more than doubled to $11 billion as a result of increased cross-border M & A sales.
Investment flows to Africa fell to $45 billion in 2022 from a record $80 billion in 2021 and accounted for 3.5 percent of global foreign direct investment, the report said, adding that international project financing deals targeting Africa showed a 47 percent drop in value.
The report pointed out that the number of announcements of new projects increased by 39% to 766, and that six of the 15 largest new investment mega projects (those worth more than $10 billion) announced in 2022 were in Africa, stressing that Egypt witnessed an increase in foreign direct investment more than doubled to $11 billion as a result of increased cross-border M & A sales.
The number of new projects has more than doubled to 161, and the value of international project financing transactions has increased by two-thirds to $24 billion.
FDI inflows have risen over the past five years in four of the continent ’ s regional economic groupings, with FDI in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) growing by 14% to $22 billion, and inflows also rising in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) (quadrupled to $10 billion) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WEMU) (doubled to $5.2 billion). East African Community (up 9% to $3.8 billion).
According to the report, the largest increase in 2022 was in new field projects announced in energy and gas supply (to $120 billion from $24 billion in 2021), and the value of projects in construction and extractive industries rose to $24 billion and $21 billion, respectively, while the information and communication sector recorded the largest number of projects.
European investors remain by far the largest owners of FDI in Africa, led by the United Kingdom ($60 billion), France ($54 billion) and the Netherlands ($54 billion).

What was the total FDI inflow to Africa in 2022 and how did it compare to 2021?

$45 billion, which was down from $80 billion in 2021

Despite this drop, specific countries continue to stand out; for instance, Egypt more than doubled its FDI inflows to $11 billion in 2022.

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

Which African countries are driving the venture capital ecosystem?

South Africa was the continent’s largest FDI recipient in 2021, attracting over $40.9 billion.

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Content: AFED: EGYPT RECEIVED $5.1 BILLION INVESTMENTS IN 2021
GDP growth is expected to rise to 4.4% this year
Abdulrahman Abu Al-Enein
6: 52 AM, Wednesday, 31 May 23
Recent data issued by the African Development Bank (AfDB) revealed that Egypt ranked second in terms of foreign direct investment flows in the continent in 2021 and attracted nearly $5.1 billion.
According to the Africa Economies Outlook 2023, South Africa was the largest recipient of foreign direct investment in 2021 with investments of more than $40.9 billion, nearly half of the total inflows to the continent in that year, followed by Egypt and Mozambique, which each attracted nearly $5.1 billion, representing about 6.2% of the total volume.
In the same context, the report expected Egypt ’ s GDP growth rate to decline to 4.4% this year from 6.6% estimated last year, and to rise to 5.1% next year.
The report pointed out that the inflation rate rose from 4.5% in the fiscal year 2020 / 2021 to 8.5% in the fiscal year 2021 / 2022 due to the rise in food and energy prices globally and the devaluation of the pound against the dollar.
He said that the current account deficit shrank to 3.5% of GDP in the fiscal year 2021 / 2022 compared to 4.4% in the previous fiscal year 2020 / 2021 due to the rise of tourism revenues to 10.7 billion dollars against 4.9 billion dollars, respectively.
The African Development Bank pointed out that the banking sector remains profitable and well capitalized, noting that the rate of non-performing loans reached 3.2% in June 2022, explaining that subsidies and social protection programs have reduced the impact of high food and energy prices on vulnerable families.
The Minister of Planning Hala Al-Said said in previous statements that despite the current effects of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, which is likely to spread over the next year, the Egyptian economy is expected to grow by 4.2% by the end of the current fiscal year 2023-2022.
Al-Saeed said that with the development of inflationary trends in the Egyptian economy and despite the success of the state in curbing it and reducing it from very high levels (25% in 2017-2016) to less than 5% in 2021-2020, the rate increased to about 15% in 2022, and continued to rise, especially after the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.
Foreign direct investment in Mozambique increased by 68% in 2021, the report said, noting that these investments were largely directed to green projects in the energy sector.
Nigeria accounted for 5.8% of FDI inflows to Africa and Ethiopia 5.1% despite economic challenges.
The bulk of foreign direct investment in these countries is increasingly going to clean energy resource projects.
Mauritius and South Africa recorded the largest outflows in 2021, but a few countries recorded net inflows, including Egypt ($18 billion) and Nigeria ($5.9 billion).
The Bank estimates that capital flight through net investment outflows continued in 2022 at around $28 billion, which is close to the 2021 level due to higher interest rates linked to deflationary monetary policies in developed countries.
Official development assistance (ODA) to Africa stabilized at $65 billion in 2021 after the previous 28 percent jump in 2020.
The significant increase in such assistance since 2020 reflected the support provided by the international community to help African governments address the humanitarian, social and economic impacts of the coronavirus epidemic and the difficult global economic conditions.
The African countries that saw the largest increase in ODA in 2021 included Egypt (428%), Equatorial Guinea (115%), Angola (109%), Gabon (82%) and Sudan (60%).
The report pointed out that official development assistance to Egypt during 2021 amounted to about 8.2 billion dollars, Ethiopia 4 billion dollars, Sudan 3.8 billion dollars, the Democratic Republic of the Congo 3.5 billion dollars, Nigeria 3.4 billion dollars, and Kenya 3.1 billion dollars.
African countries need to leverage this external support to address existing vulnerabilities and build more resilient economies, given the risks that advanced economies are reallocating resources for reconstruction and humanitarian assistance in Ukraine at the expense of meeting the continent ’ s official development assistance commitments.
Ukraine received $16.1 billion in net official development assistance (ODA), equivalent to 7.8 percent of the total aid resources provided last year.
It is noteworthy that the report was launched in light of the annual meetings of the African Development Bank Group held under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in Sharm El Sheikh from 22 to 26 May.

Other significant recipients include Mozambique and Egypt (about $5.1 billion each), Nigeria (5.8% of Africa’s FDI), and Ethiopia (5.1%) .

Which African countries are driving the venture capital ecosystem?

Africa’s share of global FDI is modest, representing approximately 3.5% in 2022.

Title:

Content: Global investors waiting to pour in money in Africa to firewall China

By IANS | Published: August 2, 2021 02:09 PM2021-08-02T14:09:05+5:302021-08-02T14:25:34+5:30

New Delhi, Aug 2: After a tepid inflow of foreign direct investments (FDI) into Africa in 2020 amid the ...

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New Delhi, Aug 2: After a tepid inflow of foreign direct investments (FDI) into Africa in 2020 amid the Covid-19, investors are once again warming up to the continent. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), FDI flows into Africa declined by 16 per cent in 2020 to $40 billion, from $47 billion in 2019.

China, the primary investor in the continent, has also slowed down its investments into the continent leaving an opportunity for other investors.

While the UNCTAD projected FDI inflow into Africa to grow this year, it said that the slow vaccine roll-out programme is a cause for concern. According to UNCTAD, FDI to the continent is projected to grow by only 5 per cent in 2021. But analysts said Africa as an investment destination has led to "an unprecedented curiosity" among other countries, which are now aggressively looking to mute China's dominance in the continent.

"Africa is critical in the new geopolitical and geo-economic contours. The continent, with its vast natural resources, offers a ready growth platform," an analyst told India Narrative.

According to a study published by Brookings Institution last week, Africa is home to 17 per cent of the world population. However, by 2050, it will have 26 per cent of the global population 2.53 billion people. "If Africa is not successfully integrated into the global economy, there could be a major threat to global prosperity and stability," the study said, adding that by 2050, the continent will be home to an estimated $16.12 trillion of combined consumer and business spending.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) – the mega trade could give a push to intra-continental investment.

Touted as one of the biggest trade deals in the world, the AfCTA aims to create a single market comprising 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP of about $3.4 trillion.

Meanwhile, the US may have woken up late in recognising the potential of Africa but is making all attempts to make up for the lost time.

The Group of Seven or G7 has already decided to support US President Joe Biden's proposal of carving out a mega infrastructure plan under the "Build Back Better World" (B3W) initiative, expected to bring in transparency and sustainability. Besides, the initiative will be carried out only in consultation with local communities.

The G7 in its meeting in June also announced that it will increase its support to the Indo Pacific and Africa. "We resolve to collaborate with partners around the world, including in the Indo-Pacific and Africa, to actively promote these shared values for the good of all," said the statement.

India too has pressed the pedal on investments in the region. Sources said that the still-born Asia Africa Growth Corridor—the mega infrastructure project that was launched in 2017 to connect Asia and Africa must be revived.

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace noted that Chinese financiers committed $153 billion to African public sector borrowers between 2000 and 2019. "After rapid growth in the 2000s, annual lending commitments to Africa peaked in 2013, the year the BRI was launched. By 2019, though, new Chinese loan commitments amounted to only $7 billion to the continent, down 30 percent from $9.9 billion in 2018," it said.

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However, investment project announcements and greenfield investments signal longer-term optimism.

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

Energy and gas supply saw dramatic increases in new project announcements—from $24 billion in 2021 to $120 billion in 2022—while construction and extractive industries also remained prominent with fresh investments of $24 billion and $21 billion, respectively.

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

The region benefits from increased investment activity not only from traditional partners such as the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands, but also from newer and rapidly growing sources including China, India, and Gulf states like the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

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Content: The rise of foreign investment in the Middle East and reveals its proportions
Palestine Today - Gaza
Time: 05: 36 PM
June 11, 2022
Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to the countries of the Arab world and the Middle East in 2021 increased by 44.2% to reach $66.85 billion compared to $46.37 billion in 2020.
In a report based on data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Al-Iqtisadiyah newspaper pointed out that "this rise in foreign direct investment to the region was mainly supported by Saudi Arabia, which contributed about 68% of the increase in investments to the region by $13.9 billion, while the increase for the region in total $20.5 billion."
“Foreign direct investment (FDI) flowing to Saudi Arabia rose 257%, the fastest pace in history, to reach $19.3 billion in 2021, compared to $5.4 billion in 2020, ” the report said, pointing out that“ FDI flowing to Saudi Arabia in 2021 is the highest since 2010, when it reached $28.3 billion, as a result of overcoming obstacles to foreign investment in the Kingdom and the huge investment opportunities available under the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030. sectors ".
The report pointed to "the highest countries in the region attracted foreign direct investment in 2021," explaining that "led by the UAE with 20.7 billion dollars, followed by Saudi Arabia, third Turkey with 12.5 billion dollars, followed by Egypt with 5.1 billion dollars, and Salman 3.6 billion dollars."
The report revealed that "Iraq recorded a departure for foreign investments worth $2.6 billion, to continue foreign investments in the exit for more than six consecutive years, and that Qatar recorded a departure for foreign investments for the fourth year in a row to reach $1.1 billion in 2021."
“Unlike the previous seven countries, the flow of foreign direct investment in 2021 amounted to about $2.15 billion for Morocco, Bahrain $1.8 billion, and Iran $1.4 billion, ” she said, noting that“ foreign investment amounted to less than $1 billion in Algeria by $870 million, and $660 million in Tunisia, while in Jordan $622 million, Sudan $462 million, Somalia $456 million and $273 million in Lebanon. ” Palestine was $256 million, Kuwait $198 million, Djibouti $167 million, Mauritania $22 million and Comoros $4 million.
According to the World Investment Report, “FDI recovered and recovered to pre-Coronavirus levels, up 64% from 2020 to reach $1.58 trillion in 2021, driven by momentum from M & A activity and rapid growth in international project financing due to loose financing and stimulus packages for key infrastructure. ”
While all regions benefited from the recovery, three-quarters of growth was concentrated in advanced economies, where foreign investment inflows rose 134 percent, and multinationals made record profits, the top 10 receiving FDI in 2021 were the United States, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Brazil, India, South Africa, Russia and Mexico.
“Flows to developing economies rose 30% to $837 billion, the highest level ever recorded, due to strength in Asia, a partial recovery in Latin America and the Caribbean and recovery in Africa, ” she said, noting that the outlook for the current year was more bleak, according to the report, released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNCTAD) entitled“ International tax reforms and sustainable investments ”. This is because the business and investment climate has changed dramatically.

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

Which Asian countries are investing in Africa?

Which countries are actively investing in Africa besides China?

Regional blocs such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WEMU), and the East African Community are playing key roles in channeling and attracting these investments .

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Content: Part I: Attracting Foreign Investment into Africa may not come from the Sweet Stories we tell Foreigners

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By Edward Chisanga

I attended an Investment Forum in Utopia last week where Utopian countries had a rare opportunity to speak their minds out to foreigners who had attended in large numbers together with their Heads of State. The Master of ceremony began by introducing the private sector from rich countries present from France, UK, USA, Germany, Netherlands, and others from the EU membership before turning to the Utopian Heads of State and their groups.

What Foreign Investors Heard

Then he called upon one Utopian Head of State to speak on behalf of all the fifty-five African countries in attendance to list compelling factors that would captivate foreign investors from rich countries to go and invest in Africa.

The President began, “Africa is a huge piece of land, most of which is underutilized. All the countries that I represent here boast of huge land available for you investors. Come and invest in Africa, the continent of the future.” Then the President turned to one of the Presidents in his group and allowed him to speak about his country’s promotion of investment.

“Zambia has one of the most open trade environments in Africa and is a member of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the Common Markets for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). Businesses in Zambia benefit from one of the lowest profit taxes in the region. Increasing regional cooperation through multilateral organisations, including SADC and the African Union should continue to reduce the likelihood of interstate conflict.” Then he highlighted ‘Some of the government incentives to FDI as:

  1. Dividends paid out on farming profits are exempt for the first five years of activity.
  2. Initial allowance of 10% on capital expenditure incurred on the construction or improvement of an industrial building is deductible.
  3. Foreign exchange losses of a capital nature incurred on borrowings used for the building and construction of an industrial or commercial building are tax deductible.
  4. Income earned by companies in the first year of listing on the Lusaka stock exchange qualifies for a 2% discount on the applicable company tax rate in the particular sector. However, companies with more than 1/3 of their shareholding in the hands of Zambians qualify for a 7% discount.
  5. Implements, machinery and plant used for farming, manufacturing or tourism qualify for wear and tear allowance of 50% of the cost per year in the first two years of activity.

He continued, “Investors who invest at least USD250,000 in any sector or product not provided for as a priority sector or product, is entitled to non-fiscal incentives such as investment guarantees and protection against state nationalization and protection against non-commercial risks (Zambia is a signatory of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency).”

Then the moderating African President turned to South Africa’s President and gave him the floor. President Cyril Ramaphosa was quick and went straight to the point by referring his audience to his weekly newsletter output, ‘From the Desk of the President,’ and repeated the points he recently made in the United Kingdom, “Government has a bold vision to be a destination of choice for foreign direct investment and this requires far-reaching reforms. These include reducing the cost of doing business for both large and small businesses, improving the quality of South Africa’s institutions, enhancing administrative efficiency and governance systems.”

When the turn of the Ethiopian Prime Minister came, he repeated what he had said at the 2019 Davos Meeting in Switzerland, “Investment in infrastructure has contributed a lot to the growth and attracted FDI, making Ethiopia one of the leading FDI destinations in Africa.”

Based on what the three African countries presented as their selling points to attract FDI, the President speaking on behalf of Africa retorted, “The three African countries that have just spoken present a strong representative basis for me to conclude that Africa is ripe and ready for FDI. “You have heard yourselves from the horses’ mouths,” He proudly said. “There’re similar incentives in Rwanda, Benin, Lesotho, Burkina Faso and all other countries. It’s time for you to come and invest in Africa.”

What Foreign Investors do not hear.

Despite the repeated sweet stories coming from African leaders, there’re equally important things that Foreign Investor don’t hear but that they are aware of.
About Zambia, an UNCTAD Investment Report reports, “Zambia’s infrastructure, whose poor quality is a barrier to investment, should be strengthened by investments in the road network, railways and the construction of power plants. In 2021, a USD 11 billion standard gauge railway project was announced in Zambia, involving US capital, which would expand essential transport links with the outside world. The regulatory environment does not favour entrepreneurial activity, the requirements for commercial licenses being long and costly, and the application of regulations not being uniform. In addition, the protection of property rights and the enforcement of contracts are still weak by international standards.”

As the author of this article is a Zambian living in Zambia, he is aware of the challenges coming the country’s energy sector. We have loadshedding in Zambia which Foreign Investors are aware of. They’re aware that the Mining sector, the country’s brain earner depends on use of energy, yet it is not exempted from malady of shortages. Equally, they know how much Zambia’s private sector suffers from energy shortage and its effect on business.

In South Africa, despite sweet stories, except only in 2021inward FDI flows have been declining significantly since 2010 as Figure 1 below shows. Even if this dwindling trend were to be attributed to other factors, the deteriorating energy situation in South Africa is playing a multiplier effect on FDI and the overall economy. Yet, South Africa like other African countries’ Heads of State turn a blind eye on the matter. As for many other things going unwell, they simply don’t tell the truth about the energy crisis.

In Ethiopia, Laments Omer Redi, “The crisis in the power supply has reached such a critical point that blackouts now occur every other day.” Fortune adds, “It is obvious that Ethiopia is now in such a serious power crisis that it has been forced to introduce load shedding.” There are other voices no longer silent. Said Kevin Daly of London based investment company, “Ethiopia is uninventable now. The political situation is very tenuous, and there is a lack of information and clarity on the economy, and on how things are going to be resolved.”

Concluding

Policy coherence is defined by the OECD as, “The systematic promotion of mutually reinforcing policy actions across government departments and agencies creating synergies towards achieving the agreed objectives.” The wonderful incentive packages must be complemented with other key inputs to build a whole.

For example, just as a motor vehicle cannot move smoothly if one key part falls off, you cannot attract adequate FDI with a list of incentives only when the energy sector, upon which industry depends is in crisis. Fix energy, infrastructure, human skills, corruption, rule of law, security, etc to arrive at a complete package of what attracts FDI. FDI goes to Asia because there’s no infrastructure, human capital, or energy crisis.

All these are well built. Asia also has bigger land than Africa. We cannot keep on using obsolete factors that are abandoned by others to attract FDI. It’s like always saying, “Come to Zambia and see the Victoria Falls.” Foreign Tourists now go to beautiful cities without dust, simply to visit, feel safe and talk to honest and humble citizens with Asians largely qualifying in almost all these. Our cities, including Livingstone, are not ripe for serious tourism that builds wealth.

Foreign Investors or tourists are not our uncles on whose shoulders we will simply cry and await their positive response. They will not come simply because we are democratic and shout that Zambia is ready for business. They are not cajoled by sympathy or simply because Zambia’s leadership change occurs smoothly. They have not come since change from Kaunda to Chiluba or Chiluba to Banda or Banda to Sata which were all peaceful and democratic. We must understand what their needs are. If we don’t provide, they’ll go to Asia.

A significant policy framework influencing investment is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), launched in 2021.

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Content: South Africa supports calls for global co-operation to boost trade and address economic challenges and climate change

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Johannesburg, South Africa – 23 January 2023: The 53rd Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, concluded on Friday, 20 January 2023. World leaders and corporate executives expressed hope that the looming recession facing the global economy could be avoided if countries collaborated to boost global trade and investment.

A high-level South African government and business delegation has returned home from the meeting more upbeat than before that the current economic slowdown and rising inflation could be resolved if nations addressed global supply disruptions that are leading to commodity shortages and driving up energy and food prices.

The delegation was led by Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, who was accompanied by leaders of South Africa’s major corporations operating in various sectors of the economy. The delegation also included Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ebrahim Patel; Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor; and Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi.

This year’s WEF Annual Meeting was held under the theme “Cooperation in a Fragmented World” and covered many interconnected topics including the impact of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war on the commodity markets, skyrocketing cost of living caused by rising inflation and monetary policy tightening by central banks, climate change, and the growing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on workplaces and labour markets.

“The South African delegation did a fantastic job in Davos where it sold our country to global investors as a favourable market to do business and invest in. Notwithstanding the energy supply constraints that our country is currently grappling with, South Africa remains an attractive investment destination given its excellent infrastructure, sophisticated financial markets, and a skilled workforce,” says Sithembile Ntombela, Acting CEO of Brand South Africa.

The South African government is currently implementing structural reforms that have opened the energy sector to private investment to boost energy generation and bring an end to load-shedding that is constraining the economy.

“The structural reforms that are currently being implemented by the government are making progress in removing investment bottlenecks and reducing the cost of doing business. These reforms will enable South Africa, a preferred destination by local investors and global multinationals looking to expand across Africa, to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” says Ntombela.

The AfCFTA, which officially launched in 2021, will create the world’s largest free trade area, stimulate intra-African trade, develop regional value chains, and promote industrialisation across the continent.

The AfCFTA Secretariat and WEF revealed in a report unveiled at this year’s Davos meeting that AfCFTA is projected to create single market that will grow to 1.7 billion people and $6.7 trillion in consumer and business spending by 2030.

By 2050, the continent is estimated to be home to 2.5 billion people and a market with a combined business and consumer spending of $16.12 trillion.

The report titled “A New Era for Global Business and Investment in Africa” lists four high-potential sectors that hold lucrative opportunities for companies looking to invest in Africa.

These sectors are automotive, agriculture and agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, and transport and logistics, which are all expected to see rapid growth in terms of production and trade volumes under AfCFTA.

“Given that South Africa is the most industrialised and sophisticated economy in Africa, it is well positioned to take advantage of opportunities presented by AfCFTA. The development of the free trade area will require massive investment in logistics and telecommunications infrastructure to reduce the cost of doing business and enable free movement of people, goods and services,” explains Ntombela.

With the green energy transition and digital transition in full motion around the world, the delegation that represented South Africa at WEF2023 expressed support for calls to reskill and upskill workforces, particularly the youth, to prepare them for future workplaces and to mitigate job losses.

The delegation is impressed by the progress made by the WEF’s Reskilling Revolution; an initiative launched in 2020 to empower 1 billion people. So far, the initiative has reached 350 million people.

Climate change also took centre stage at WEF with world leaders and business executives committing themselves to supporting the implementation of the Paris Agreement, which calls on all countries to cut carbon emissions to limit global warming to around 1.5 degrees celsius and strive towards attaining net zero emissions by 2050.

This commitment requires countries and businesses to move away from using fossil fuel energy sources like coal and crude oil and adopting clean and environmentally friendly energy sources such as wind and solar power.

The launch of the new Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate, which brings together over 50 countries, was also a highlight of this year’s  WEF annual meeting.

The coalition aims to tackle climate change by promoting trade and investment that encourages adoption of goods, services, and technologies that mitigate climate change in both developed and developing countries.

“However, the global challenges that were highlighted at WEF 2023 cannot be resolved in a fragmented world in which countries are pulling in different directions. These challenges require collaboration and unity by the nations of the world, where counties are working together to find solutions in an integrated global economy,” concludes Ntombela.

Ends/////

Issued by Brand South Africa

Notes to the Editor

Contact: Phindi Mathebula

Email:phindilem@brandsouthafrica.com

Mobile number: +27 64 890 7414

About Brand South Africa

Brand South Africa is the official marketing agency of South Africa, with a mandate to build the country’s brand reputation, to improve its global competitiveness. Its aim is also to build pride and patriotism among South Africans, to contribute to social cohesion and nation brand ambassadorship.

This electronic communication and the attached file(s) are subject to a disclaimer which can be viewed at https://www.brandsouthafrica.com/terms-and-conditions . If you are unable to view the disclaimer, please email info@brandsouthafrica.com for a copy.

AfCFTA aims to create a single market of 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion.

The agreement is expected to increase intra-African investment as well as foreign participation, and projections indicate that, by 2050, African consumer and business spending could reach $16.12 trillion—a figure often cited by investors as a rationale for current positioning on the continent .

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

Geographically, FDI is concentrated in a handful of countries and regions.

Title:

Content: Report of the American Chambers: Investment interest in the services sector in North Africa
Tuesday ، 28 February 2023 01: 00 AM
American Chamber
Books by Abdul Halim Salem
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The report of the Council of American Chambers of Commerce in North Africa and the Middle East revealed that the hallmark of the group of North African countries, the abundant workforce, supported by a large number of young people, and the range of jobs requiring high and low skills, pointing out that the service sector in North Africa is diverse and promising, attracting the attention of international and regional investors in sectors such as logistics, maritime services, shipbuilding and most importantly, tourism.
As a result, national governments across North Africa aim to increase their exports regionally and internationally.
The report added that the Middle East and North Africa region has significant natural petroleum resources, which have attracted global capital in oil-related industries, revealing that since November 2022, the region ’ s average oil production has reached about 34.1 million barrels per day, dominated by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
After decades of focusing on oil products, many Gulf countries are now adopting new export diversification strategies, led by high-tech components, and attracting new investments for unconventional sector projects.
He noted that the Levant countries are a regional home for authentic folklore arts and crafts, and professional talent.
Despite the ongoing political instability in this area, these countries are also involved in agriculture and across different regions.
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South Africa remains a dominant recipient due to its diversified economy and capital markets.

North African countries such as Egypt have also attracted significant inflows, largely due to large-scale infrastructure and energy schemes.

Which African countries are driving the venture capital ecosystem?

Mozambique, Nigeria, and Ethiopia are consistently among the top destinations, drawing attention for their natural resource endowments and demographic growth.

Title:

Content: 00: 00
Expo 2020 Dubai Today
UAE seeks to boost investment flow with African countries at Expo 2020
His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, held a series of meetings with ministers, officials and businessmen from African countries to discuss ways to stimulate trade and investment flows between the UAE and the continent.
During the meetings, Dr. Al Zeyoudi reviewed the economic opportunities and potential of the UAE-Africa partnership in sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, minerals and logistics.
During the meetings, Dr. Al Zeyoudi briefed the ministers on the developments in the UAE ’ s economic environment during the past phase, including the 50 projects, new economic legislations and qualitative initiatives launched by the UAE to shift to a new economic model based on knowledge and characterized by flexibility, competitiveness and sustainability.
In his meeting with Dr. Chilichi Kabuibwe, Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Al-Zeyoudi pointed to opportunities to increase the current volume of trade exchange between the UAE and the 21 African member countries of COMESA through greater cooperation in areas such as logistics and advanced technology.
In his meeting with H.E. Ntabazi Harriet, Minister of State for Trade of the Republic of Uganda, Thani Al Zeyoudi focused on investment opportunities in agriculture, minerals and retail sectors, and discussed the possibility of investing in irrigation systems and agricultural technology that can enhance the production of key crops such as coffee, cocoa, tea, cotton and flowers.
In a related context, the renewable energy sector, specifically green hydrogen, was the main focus of the discussions that took place during her meeting with Her Excellency Naha Bint Hamdi Ould Meknes, Minister of Trade, Industry, Handicrafts and Tourism of Mauritania, and Her Excellency Lucia Ibombo, Minister of Manufacturing and Trade of Namibia. for production.
H.E. Al Zeyoudi also held constructive talks with H.E. Sikai Nzinza, Minister of Industry and Trade of Zimbabwe; H.E. Carlos Alberto Fortis Mesquita, Minister of Industry and Trade of Mozambique; H.E. Maween Diggs, Minister of Trade and Industry of Liberia; H.E. Thabiso Paul, Minister of Trade and Industry of Lesotho; H.E. Edward Henga Sande, Minister of Trade and Industry of Sierra Leone; H.E. Ndir Nigel Hahel Mead Hassan, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Trade of Seychelles, David Osiani, Secretary General of the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development of Kenya, and Admaso Tadesse, President of the Trade and Development Bank of Kenya.
H.E. Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi stressed that Africa is one of the most attractive markets in the world for foreign direct investment, as it enjoys huge investment opportunities in vital and strategic sectors for the UAE such as renewable energy, agriculture and logistics.
He added: “The UAE seeks to strengthen economic, trade and investment cooperation with the African continent, especially as there are common visions between the two sides to achieve sustainable development through future-oriented projects such as green hydrogen, renewable energy and the deployment of agricultural technology solutions, which was highlighted during joint meetings with ministers and senior officials. ”
Al Zeyoudi said: “The UAE continues to implement its ambitious plans to establish itself as a key global gateway for regional and global trade and investment flows. The UAE also provides opportunities for African exporters to access new markets, thanks to its advanced infrastructure linking the country through ports and airports to more than 400 cities around the world, as well as the legislative and regulatory environment that stimulates business and investments. ”
Al-Zeyoudi expressed his aspiration to continue meetings and discussions with ministers and senior officials from African countries to bring trade and investment relations between the UAE and African countries to new heights of growth and prosperity.
His Excellency Thani Al Zeyoudi ’ s series of meetings with ministers and senior officials from Africa are part of the UAE ’ s efforts to expand trade relations with the world, as part of the UAE ’ s ambitious strategy for the next 50 years to build a more dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy.
Talks have been announced in recent weeks to reach a comprehensive economic partnership agreement between the UAE and Indonesia and India, and a joint statement of intent between the UAE and South Korea on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement between the two countries was announced on Sunday.
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Meanwhile, Ghana, Angola, Senegal, and Mozambique are emerging as hotspots for renewable energy investment, setting ambitious targets for green energy expansion.

Title:

Content: The “green ” energy transition announced by the European Union in the name of combating global climate change requires a huge amount of cheap resources to deploy a network of renewable energy sources (RES).
Therefore, environmentally concerned politicians not only of the EU, but also of the United States, once again turned their eyes to Africa, where China is already in full control.
Bidding for Africa
Ivan Shilov © IA REGNUM
These countries are placing a big bet on Africa, hoping to meet the growing demand for renewable energy and at the same time promising the continent fantastic economic growth.
It is possible to buy green electricity from African countries: according to current estimates, solar power generation is 10 TW, hydropower - 350 GW; wind power - 110 GW.
Mozambique is considered one of the greenest countries in the world - it receives 81% of its electricity from hydropower.
However, much of Africa's energy resources remain largely untapped.
This is where foreign investors put their feet.
With the help of international consulting and investment agencies, they estimate that Ethiopia has solar and hydropower capacity of more than 60,000 MW, while in South Africa, the potential for wind power is estimated at 67,000 GW.
Having adopted the rules of the game of potential investors and decided that renewable energy is the source of their enrichment, some African countries have set themselves goals in the field of green energy development.
By 2030, Ghana aims to increase the share of its national “green ” energy balance from 42.5 MW to 1,363 MW, Angola is ready to use RES by 70% by 2025, and Senegal is doing everything possible to increase the share of RES in the country ’ s energy balance to 30% by 2030.
Windmills
Myriams-Fotos
The Paris climate agreement has forced many African governments to take the climate agenda more seriously, leading to the inclusion of RES provisions in national legislatures, including reforms aimed at encouraging foreign direct investment and private business participation in the process.
Paradoxically, for all the attractiveness of the African continent for “green ” investors, African countries are experiencing an energy crisis: currently more than 600 million people do not have access to electricity, and more than 900 million people do not have access to clean fuels for cooking.
Energy demand is growing every year across the continent due to population growth, with developing countries expected to account for more than 90% of the world ’ s population growth by 2050.
Electrifying their own territories has become a priority for many African governments, which requires significant investment, and here the whole calculation is on foreign investors.
It should not be forgotten that Africa is the second largest mining industry in the world, with many countries of the continent dependent on exploration and mining.
Already, the “green ” energy transition is orienting this industry towards the extraction of elements necessary for the production of electric vehicles, batteries and other clean energy technologies.
Although nearly 50% of South Africa ’ s export value comes from the development and trade of fossil fuels, the main focus is shifted to nickel, copper and cobalt mining – these minerals serve as important components in renewable energy technologies, and demand for them is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decades.
Countries rich in copper and nickel, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe and Zambia, are likely to be especially loved by foreign investors.
To understand what promises these investors entry to the continent, it is enough to study the latest data on the size of mineral deposits, so necessary for the production of renewable energy.
Zimbabwe boasts the world ’ s second largest platinum deposit (2.8 billion tons) and rich chrome ore deposits (10 billion tons), as well as Africa ’ s largest lithium deposit.
The mining sector of the country is estimated at $12 billion a year.
With the growing demand for batteries, Zimbabwe is poised to become one of the world ’ s largest exporters of lithium, and is currently developing four major industrial projects.
Lithium
Dnn87
Another contender for an investment boom is Zambia, which has about 6% of the world ’ s proven copper reserves, as well as some of the richest deposits in the world, making the country the seventh largest copper producer in the world.
In addition, Zambia has prospects for uranium, gold, coal and diamonds.
The resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are estimated at tens of trillions of dollars - these are unused reserves of gold, cobalt, diamonds and high-quality copper.
In 2019, this South African country produced a total of 100,000 metric tons of cobalt, accounting for 70% of global production.
The country boasts some of the highest quality copper deposits in the world.
According to an E & Y report titled “Africa ’ s Attraction Program, ” Africa ’ s young, vibrant population and significant economic potential make it a tidbit for foreign investors.
However, the extraction of minerals and the construction of power plants does not mean that the lives of the African
Rather, it means more exploitation of cheap labor and enrichment of decision makers on how to dispose of the natural resources of their States.
Read earlier in this story: Africa is waiting for the irreversible consequences of the European green course
Read the development of the plot: Copper mining companies in Zambia plan to attract to gold mining

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

Which countries are preferred FDI destinations in Africa?

Additionally, Zimbabwe and Zambia are increasingly on foreign investors’ radar because of their critical mining resources—particularly minerals required for battery technology and clean energy, such as platinum, lithium, copper, and cobalt .

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

Key industrial sectors for foreign investment are evolving in line with global and continental trends.

Title:

Content: « Money » monitors the forecasts of economic analysts for foreign investment flows in the current year
A number of them predicted it would reach $10 billion.
Samar Al-Sayed
Praying for Mahmood
6: 59 AM, Wednesday, 27 Jul 22
Wael Ziadeh: The Russian-Ukrainian war is an opportunity for the Egyptian stock exchange to attract more capital
Esraa Ahmed: Clean energy, infrastructure and digital financial services are the most attractive sectors
Hani Geneina: Companies should be encouraged to reinvest their profits instead of transferring them to parent entities abroad
Naaman Khaled: Most of the money will come from Gulf markets
The Egyptian government aims to increase foreign direct investment flows, especially the Gulf, in the local market in the coming period, in light of the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war on the global and local economies, and a number of analysts and macroeconomic experts estimated the value of these investments to reach $10 billion, driven by various factors, including the decline in the stock prices of companies on the stock exchange, and the exchange rate of the pound against the dollar.
The latest report issued by UNCTAD in June on the volume of foreign investment flows in 15 African countries last year showed that Egypt ranked second in the list, recording the volume of flows about 5.122 billion dollars compared to 5.852 billion in 2020 compared to 9.010 billion in 2019.
South Africa came first last year with a 1,235% jump in investment inflows of $40.889 billion compared to $3.062 billion in 2020 and $5.125 billion in 2019.
Wael Ziadeh, founder and CEO of Zela Capital, said that the Russian-Ukrainian war had negatively affected foreign direct investment flows in the world, while inter-state assistance had increased to counter the negative consequences of the war.
He explained to Al-Mal that these negative effects included the exit of investment flows from some emerging countries, which led to the impact of their trade balance, especially as their imports of food and oil more than their exports, for example Turkey and many European countries, as well as Sri Lanka.
On the other hand, the war represents a positive area for these countries, especially in activating the stock market sector, he said, adding that in this context, the Egyptian Exchange has opportunities to attract more foreign investments in the coming period.
He predicted that Egypt will take no more than six months to recover its trade balance once the war is over, as the prices of petroleum products and food will fall rapidly, as they rose rapidly after the outbreak of the war.
The objectives of the Egyptian government published in July 2021 in the second and final review report of the Credit Standby Arrangement Program signed with the International Monetary Fund, amounting to about $5.4 billion, indicated that the percentage of net foreign direct investments of GDP will rise to 2.5% in the current fiscal year compared to 2% in the last fiscal year, adding that it recorded 1.4% in the fiscal year 2021 / 2020, 2% in 2019 and 2.6% in 2019. / 2018.
These targets pointed out that the proportion of net foreign direct investment will jump to 3% of GDP in the fiscal year 2025 / 2024 compared to 2.9% in 2023 / 2024.
The government also expected in the report to increase the volume of foreign direct investment flows in the local market to about 11.7 billion in the current fiscal year against 8.6 billion dollars in the last fiscal year 2022 / 2021 to rise to 14.9 billion in the next fiscal year (2023 / 2024) and 16.5 billion in 2025 / 2024.
According to the Central Bank of Egypt ’ s forecasts issued in its statistical bulletin for May, the proportion of net foreign direct investment in GDP declined to about 1.3% in the fiscal year 2020 / 2021 compared to 2% in the fiscal year 2019 / 2020, adding that it was 2.7% in the fiscal year 2018 / 2019 and 3.1% in the year 2017 / 2018.
Economist Hani Geneina predicted that the value of net foreign direct investments in the local market will exceed 10 billion dollars in the coming period, due to several different factors, including the decline in the prices of shares of companies in the stock exchange and the exchange rate of the pound against the dollar.
However, Egypt was the second largest recipient of foreign direct investment in the African continent, he said, adding that recent pledges from Gulf countries to invest about $22 billion in various sectors will boost foreign direct investment in the future.
The number of new green projects in Egypt has more than tripled to $5.6 billion, according to the UNCTAD report, pointing out that for example, the UAE real estate company Reportage announced a real estate project worth $1.5 billion.
According to the report, the volume of foreign direct investment flows to North Africa declined by 5% to $9.3 billion last year.
Geneina told Al-Mal that the flows of foreign direct investments to the markets are divided into three types, the first is the acquisition of one company on another by more than 10%, pointing out that this investment happened last fiscal year, such as the acquisition of the UAE Holding “ADQ ” on several Egyptian companies, pointing out the importance of this type of investment, but it is not very useful in the list of foreign investments.
This type of rapid investment is encouraged by the decline in both stock prices on the stock exchange and the exchange rate of the pound against the dollar, as well as the recent government stimulus measures that included the implementation of the state ownership document.
The document of state ownership announced by the government in mid-June revealed the most prominent sectors that will witness the stabilization or reduction of government investments (while allowing the participation of the private sector), a number of activities in the transport, education, mining, real estate, electricity, telecommunications and sports sectors.
Geneina said that the second type of flows is the reinvestment of a foreign company present in the market for its profits again, pointing out that this type is classified in the balance of payments as foreign direct investments.
He added that the most prominent local sectors that will go to this type of investment is oil and gas, due to the high value of its profits achieved last fiscal year, and will therefore reinvest its large financial surpluses during the current fiscal year.
He pointed out that the third type of investment is the most difficult, which is the establishment of a new company or project from the beginning, and the employment of new workers, pointing out that for example, Dana Gas announced that it will expand its operations implemented in the local market.
This area is likely to witness an increase during the current fiscal year, especially in the oil and gas sectors and related sectors, namely petrochemicals and fertilizers, especially by Gulf investments in light of the features announced recently by the government, namely the state ownership document, the gold license, as well as the large financial surpluses they have, which motivates them to invest in the local market.
In mid-May, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced a number of concessions on the industrial sector, most notably the issuance of the golden license for some projects, pointing out that it will be granted once and include three areas as a start, namely green hydrogen, electric car manufacturing and infrastructure, seawater desalination projects and renewable energy.
Geneina stressed the importance of the government encouraging foreign companies to reinvest their profits in the local market instead of transferring them to parent companies abroad by providing incentives to urge them to take this step.
According to the latest UNCTAD report, Mozambique ranked third in the list of foreign investment flows to 15 African countries last year, and its inflows rose by 68% to $5.102 billion compared to $3.035 billion in 2020, while it recorded 2.212 billion in 2019.
Nigeria ranked fourth on the list, attracting inflows of 4.844 billion over the past year, an increase of 103 percent from the previous year, the data added, adding that it recorded 2.385 billion in 2020 and 2.305 billion in 2019.
Ethiopia followed in fifth place, and foreign direct investment inflows increased last year by 79% to $4.259 billion compared to $2.381 billion in 2020.
In the sixth place came « Congo » with the volume of flows of $3.691 billion, a decline of 8% from its value in 2020, and recorded 4.016 billion dollars, followed by Ghana in the seventh place in the list and increased flows by 39% to reach 2.614 billion dollars during 2021 compared to 1.876 billion in 2020.
According to data from the UNCTAD list, foreign direct investment flows in Senegal jumped by 21% to 2.232 billion against 1.846 billion dollars in the previous comparison period.
According to the report, the value of flows to Morocco increased by 52% last year to $2.153 billion, and a major international financing deal was announced there, a $20 billion construction project for a 3,800km transmission line to the UK with a capacity of 3.6 gigawatts, sponsored by English company Xlinks.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo ranked 10th on the list, with investments up 14% to $1.870 billion compared to $1.647 billion in 2020.
Gabon came in eleventh place, with direct investment flows falling by 5% last year to record 1.635 billion dollars compared to 1.717 billion in 2020, followed by Uganda, with flows rising by 31% to 1.142 billion dollars compared to 874 million in 2020.
Tanzania ranked 13th, with foreign investment up 35 percent in 2021 to $922 million compared to $685 million in 2020.
According to the bulletin, investment flows in Algeria decreased by 24% last year to $870 million compared to $1.143 million in 2020, pointing to the decline of investments in Tunisia to $660 million compared to $652 million in 2020 to be ranked 15th.
Esraa Ahmed, a macro-economic analyst at the investment bank “Ahly Pharos ”, agrees with Geneina ’ s opinion as she expects the volume of net foreign direct investment in Egypt to rise to about $10 billion during the current fiscal year (2022 / 2023), up from levels that will not exceed $7 billion in the fiscal year ending 2021 / 2022.
She added that this rise is driven by the Gulf investment flows that have been announced recently, and the acquisition deals that we see are witnessing activity during the current period.
There are other factors that may prevent net foreign direct investment from rising to larger numbers in the near future due to the continuation of the war in Ukraine and its repercussions on the global economy.
According to Ahmed, these factors are the economic situation of the European Union, which is an important partner for Egypt in terms of trade and investment, in addition to the general reluctance globally to risk starting new projects, and the prevailing outlook for emerging markets and the risks of their currencies.
On the sectors that may witness foreign inflows during the coming period, she said that the most prominent of them are clean energy, new infrastructure driven by the expansion of the state in this field, in addition to digital financial services, and some branches of manufacturing industries.
For his part, Numan Khalid, a macro-economic analyst at Arqaam Capital, said that the current circumstances in the world prevent the possibility of predicting the volume of foreign direct investment flows in the local market during the coming period.
He added that most of the investments come from the Gulf market, especially from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, pointing out that these two countries have benefited greatly from the recent increases in oil prices, and thus have a great financial solvency through which to invest in surrounding countries, especially in Egypt, which is one of their target markets.
He pointed out that health, hotels, real estate and the financial sector will witness an increase in the volume of investment flows to them during the coming period.
During his participation in the Qatar Economic Forum last June, the Minister of Finance, Mohamed Maait, looked forward to increasing the volume of Gulf investments with the transformation of their deposits in Egypt into real investments that benefit from the promising development opportunities available in various fields.

The most prominent sectors include:

Energy:

Title:

Content: When asked for his views on diversification as a strategy for portfolio management, Warren Buffett responded, “diversification is protection against ignorance”. Instead of a diversified portfolio, the Oracle of Omaha famously prefers a concentrated one, composed of a few sectors he has rigorously studied.

The UK’s investment strategy for the African continent is seemingly straight out of the Buffett playbook. As of 2020, the UK holds $65bn in total foreign direct investment (FDI) stock in Africa, second only to China. The vast majority of the portfolio is in oil, gas, mining and financial services.

In 2022 five new oil and gas deals worth £2.1bn were struck at the UK-Africa summit. In stark contrast, just £161m (8% of the total summit commitments) were invested in clean energy. One may agree with the UK’s strategy, suggesting that there aren’t many other high-yield investments to be made other than in oil majors, legacy miners and grey-haired banks. And besides, who would disagree with Buffett’s dictum? He is the sixth-wealthiest person in the world after all.

The truth of the matter is that Buffett would not be as wealthy as he is without adapting to changes in market trends, technologies and geopolitics. In May he sold his remaining stake in chip manufacturer TSMC due to geopolitical considerations (TSMC is based in Taiwan). A concentrated portfolio does not mean a stagnant one. It is this insight that the UK is overlooking, setting itself up to miss opportunities in those new industries rapidly taking shape across the world’s youngest and most promising continent.

Two trends are shaping markets across the continent. One of these is the adoption of financial technologies and the other is increased demand for healthcare, a consequence of Africa’s population boom and rising standards of living.

Fintech sector

McKinsey, a consultancy, estimated that revenues in the African fintech sector could surge eight times their current value to $30bn by 2025. Between 2020 and 2021 alone, the number of tech start-ups tripled to 5,200 companies. In 2021, seven of the 10 newly minted African unicorns (private companies valued over $1bn) are fintechs. As more Africans get connected and as digital identification verification models mature, fintechs will scale and profits will follow.

The second sector is pharmaceuticals. As Africa’s population grows and incomes rise, more money will be spent on healthcare. Within this sector, the Covid-19 pandemic laid bare the worrisome state of Africa’s vaccine and therapeutic manufacturing capabilities. Estimates vary, but some assessments forecast vaccine demand to double in volume from about 1-billion doses now to more than 2.7-billion doses by 2040. Industries adjacent to pharmaceuticals such as logistics, packaging and protective equipment are likely to cash in on increased private and public healthcare expenditure.

There are some positive signs that the newly revamped British International Investment (BII), formally the Commonwealth Development Corporation, is adjusting its investments because of these market trends. In 2020, the BII made a $150m investment in Kelix bio, a pan-African pharmaceutical platform focusing on manufacturing and marketing. It also executed a $20m, four-year structured credit deal with Moove, a fintech company that provides customers with cheaper access to vehicles.

Risk premium

These steps are positive but they are small. Inward FDI for Africa remains pitiful. Last year set a record for the continent, bringing in $83bn. To put this in context, the City of London in 2020 hit $831bn in FDI (10 times that of a continent of 54 countries), according to the Office of National Statistics.

What to make of this all? At least two insights. First, the UK should look to new sectors, taking bold bets in companies leading the fintech and pharmaceutical sectors. The second insight is that Africa’s risk premium is overpriced. There is opportunity beyond the industries of the 20th century; one just needs to look for them.

• Nott works for a venture facility for public benefit and is based in London. He writes in his personal capacity. You can follow his writing on Twitter @TheAfricaBrief.

Picture: 123RF

Investment is strong in both traditional oil and gas and emerging renewables (wind, solar).

Mining: Africa’s reserves of strategic minerals (including those relevant for battery and clean technology) continue to draw FDI.

Title:

Content:
African economies should seize the opportunity to better integrate into technology-intensive global supply chains and boost prosperity, but this depends on their ability to harness key market and investment trends, the UN’s trade and development body UNCTAD said on Wednesday.

In a new reportUNCTAD shows that Africa can become a major exporter of higher value-added goods, creating growth and jobs, and fuelling a rise in productivity and wages.

Launching the report in Nairobi, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan insisted it would offer a better future for the continent’s economies.

Diversifying trade “builds resilience and enhances innovation”, Ms. Grynspan said, adding that diversifaction was “key” for private sector development and employment opportunities for Africa’s growing population.

Africa’s competitive advantage

Ms. Grynspan highlighted three factors driving the “huge” opportunity for the continent. From a geopolitical point of view, countries and businesses are seeking to diversify their suppliers and thus reduce risk. Africa is well placed to tap into this trend, Ms. Grynspan said, which together with the African Continental Free Trade Area offers “great synergies” for participating in global supply chains.

Africa also has a unique advantage amid the rise of the renewable energy market, as it is a vital source of raw materials for technology-intensive industries – for instance lithium, essential to the production of electric car batteries. It has the possibility to become a destination for manufacturing and should seek to export more complex finished goods rather than just commodities, Ms. Grynspan said.

As for demographics, Africa boasts not only a dynamic, young workforce, but also a “burgeoning” middle class offering local consumer markets for hi-tech goods.

‘Untapped potential’

The report analyses “untapped potential” for African countries to strengthen their position in the automobile, solar energy and pharmaceutical industries.

Encouragingly, Ms. Grynspan noted that Africa’s tech ecosystem growth has already proven impressive, as “hubs in artificial intelligence, 3D printing, blockchain, fintech [financial technology] and e-commerce are thriving” in countries such as Kenya, fostering innovation and strengthening Africa’s chance to capture technology-intensive global supply chains.

Higher wages and resilience

Creating an environment conducive to technology-intensive industries will raise wages, the UNCTAD chief said, underscoring that the average wage on the continent is $220 per month while in the Americas, in comparison, it is nearly $670.

According to UNCTAD, deeper integration into global supply chains would also diversify African economies, boosting their resilience to future shocks.

Attract investment

However, for this to happen, more investment will be needed, Ms. Grynspan said. The report highlights the fact that currently, only about two per cent of global investments in renewable energy go to Africa.

Paul Akiwumi, Director of UNCTAD’s Division on Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes, said that in order to drive more large-scale private investment, regulatory barriers will have to be removed and regional industrial development plans put in place.

Mr. Akiwumi cited the example of a regional agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia, allowing for the creation of an industrial zone for the production of electric car batteries. He also highlighted the importance of product registration and intellectual property in order to attract investors.

Urgent debt relief needed

Ms. Grynspan stressed that in order for Africa to be able to seize its competitive advantage, the continent’s economies need debt relief to create fiscal space so that countries can invest in strengthening supply chains and in education for their workforce.

She recalled that African countries pay four times more for borrowing than the United States and eight times more than European nations, as shown in UNCTAD’s recent “World of Debt” report.

‘Change the rules’

“This must change if Africa is to achieve its full economic potential and be a major actor in global supply chains,” the UNCTAD chief insisted, pledging the UN’s unwavering support to nations across the continent.

Ms. Grynspan highlighted UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ advocacy to “change the rules that reproduce these asymmetries” and fix the “distorted” perception of risk which international investors hold in relation to developing economies.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.

Financial services: Major banks and insurance companies are expanding, while digital financial services—fintech—are growing rapidly.

Which sectors are Chinese investments in Africa focusing on?

Which sectors received the most foreign investment?

Telecommunications/ICT: Foreign companies are investing in mobile connectivity, digital infrastructure, and start-up ecosystems.

Title:

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Africa is often hailed as the birthplace of some of the world’s most exciting tech startups. From Cape to Cairo, small businesses across the continent have become catalysts for change, helping to drive economic prosperity and leaving their mark on local society.

Having produced several industry shakers in the fintech space, it’s perhaps not surprising that the continent has become a very attractive option for startup investment. According to Boston Consulting Group, the rate of growth in the number of African startups receiving financial backing between 2015 and 2022 was nearly six times faster than the global average. And during the first nine months of 2023 alone, these tech ventures raised around $1.4 billion.

With SMEs already accounting for up to 90 percent of businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa, much focus is placed on supporting this vital sector of the economy to reach the levels of success we’ve come to associate with Africa’s tenacious startup culture.

The question is – how do we empower the small business down the road to rise to the ranks of a Flutterwave in Nigeria or M-KOPA in Kenya?

Much of the answer lies in providing these enterprises with the technology they need to drive operational efficiencies and scale their operations. Cloud technology has, for example, played an important part over the years in supporting Flutterwave’s core operations. Kenyan startup, M-KOPA, which provides digital financial services to underbanked consumers, also relies heavily on the computing capacity of the cloud. Its ability to process 500 payments per minute makes it possible for the startup to provide 3 million people across Africa with access to essential services such as solar power systems, digital loans, health insurance and smartphones.

Beyond fintech, small businesses are having a transformative impact on other key sectors such as healthcare. And as with Flutterwave and M-KOPA, many of these enterprises have something important in common – the backing of powerful technology.

In South Africa, Omnisient is helping to elevate crucial decision-making across healthcare systems through a recent partnership with Altron HealthTech. The startup has created a platform that facilitates data collaboration across records and datasets and can securely match anonymised patient information in a safe environment for analysis. This allows Altron’s healthcare partners more insight into disease patterns and can improve treatments and medication efficacy.

Another startup leaving its mark in the healthcare space, Zen Dawa, is helping to reimagine pharmaceutical operations across both rural and urban areas of East Africa by creating online access to pharmaceutical offerings as well as financing solutions for small businesses and pharmacy shops. By making use of Microsoft’s robust AI platform built on Azure, the startup is helping to contribute positively to the availability of essential medicines across East Africa.

However, there are still many challenges to be addressed when it comes to drawing a larger number of the continent’s SMEs into the digital economy. Africa is still behind other regions in the world when it comes to digital infrastructure coverage, access, and quality. We are also still battling a shortage of skills and inadequate regulatory policy environments. With just 22 percent of the population online, Sub-Saharan Africa is still the world’s least connected region.

Addressing these issues will rely in no small part on the development of strategic alliances across both public and private sectors. These collaborations are pivotal to the development of comprehensive solutions to the multi-faceted challenges faced by small businesses in Africa. The FGN-ALAT digital Skillnovation Programme is a great example of this. A partnership between the Federal Government of Nigeria, Wema Bank, Get Funded Africa and Microsoft, the programme aims to train and equip one million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across the country by the end of June 2024. Already 350, 000 MSMEs have been impacted.

Beyond skills, these businesses require business mentorship and access to market and finance opportunities – through effective collaboration the initiative aims to address all these needs in a holistic manner, facilitating opportunities, for example, to receive debt financing, equity investment and grants.

The more Africa can produce successful collaborations such as these, the more we’ll start to see a greater number of small businesses emerge as powerful economic contributors. These strategic partnerships hold the key to unlocking immense potential across sectors, empowering entrepreneurial ventures to drive new digital solutions to long-standing challenges and creating a ripple effect that reverberates throughout the continent.

By Gerald Maithya – General Manager, Microsoft Africa Transformation Office

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

Which sectors are Chinese investments in Africa focusing on?

Which sectors received the most foreign investment?

Healthcare: Increased demand from growing populations and middle-class expansion is driving investment in hospitals, pharmaceuticals, and adjacent logistics and packaging sectors.

Which sectors are Chinese investments in Africa focusing on?

Other emerging sectors include manufacturing, automotive (particularly by Asian companies), electronics, agriculture, ecommerce, and logistics.

Which sectors received the most foreign investment?

The fintech sector is especially noteworthy: revenues from African fintech could reach $30 billion by 2025, and the region’s venture capital ecosystem is growing.

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

In 2021, African startups recorded 650 venture capital deals amounting to $5.2 billion—a figure that more than doubled from 2020.

Title:

Content: ...
...
...
...
Private.
Bold investments in startups in the region exceed $2 billion
Expert: 2022 may be closed on investments of $3 billion
Posted in: Last Updated:
The value of bold investments in the region exceeded the $2 billion mark on Wednesday, after the conclusion of a financing round carried out by the platform "Tabi" specialized in installment solutions purchases.
TAPI has raised $150 million from US investors in the form of “financing loans, ” despite expectations that the pace of funding will slow due to the current economic conditions and the reluctance of venture capital funds to invest.
If we compare this figure to last year, venture capital investments exceeded $2 billion on September 8, 2021, thanks to a $415 million funding round for Kotobee Cloud Kitchen Solutions.
Fintech has received the largest share of investments this year at around 30%.
If we separate the bold investments for the current year geographically, we find that the UAE received the largest share in terms of value and number of deals with 108 deals at about $887 million.
The largest of these deals was for Pure Harvest Agricultural Technology, with more than $180 million.
Saudi Arabia follows with 85 deals worth $568 million.
The largest of these deals was for Foodics Restaurant Solutions, at about $170 million.
Egypt received 88 deals worth $357 million.
The largest of these deals was for financial technology specialist Paymob at around $50 million.
One of the most striking deals in Egypt recently went to Homzmart, an online furniture sales platform that secured $23 million in a pre-series B round of funding, and the company has recently expanded into Saudi Arabia.
Despite investors leaning towards larger rounds in the MENA region, half of these transactions were in the range of $1 million to $5 million.
Africa ’ s startups are starting to appear on investors ’ radar, and the continent has seen significant M & A activity this year after a record first quarter of investments.
African startup markets raised more than $5 billion in the first half of the year, representing more than 65% of the funding raised in fiscal 2021 as a whole.
In an interview with Al Arabiya, Rasha Ghamloush, founder of Digital Digest, said the growth in venture capital investments in the region is likely to decrease compared to last year, or stabilize at the same level.
She explained that last year was an exceptional year for bold investments at the global level, and looking at the figures for 2019 and 2020, we find that the monthly investment rate in 2020 was at $50 million, while last year saw a high jump to $250 million.
This year it is around $270 million.
Taking into account the slowdown seen this summer, it is possible to close 2022 on investments of $3 billion.
On the other hand, Digital Digest pointed to the trend towards financing loans, pointing out that the technology sector is witnessing high growth rates, so it is forced to move towards investment methods that are not suitable for small companies existing before, especially with the lack of maturity of the investment system in the region suitable for technical companies.
"Options include access to funding from an Venture Capital Fund, loan financing or regular loans.
The financing loan differs from the evaluation of institutions for companies from banks with greater risk, and the assessment is on a future basis and the interest rate is somewhat high and loans can be converted into shares in certain cases, "noting that the interest rate on financing loans usually ranges between 15% and 25%.
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While fintech dominates in volume, other technology-driven sectors such as healthcare, e-commerce, and logistics are attracting substantial funding.

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

Which sectors are Chinese investments in Africa focusing on?

Successful African startups—including Flutterwave in Nigeria and M-KOPA in Kenya—illustrate the growing opportunities for entrepreneurial and business-trained graduates .

Which African countries are driving the venture capital ecosystem?

Major foreign companies actively investing or expanding in Africa come from diverse origins:

China: China is Africa’s leading bilateral investor, having committed $153 billion in loans to public sector borrowers between 2000 and 2019.

While the pace of new loans has slowed, Chinese companies remain heavily involved in infrastructure, industrial parks, and value-added manufacturing, often facilitated through strategic platforms such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Fifth Estate

Chinese FM Wang Yi’s visit cements Sino-Africa relations

-Wang Yi will be in Kenya, Eritrea and Comoros from Jan 4-7.
-It’s an annual tradition for Chinese FM to visit Africa at the start of the year.
-The visit cements China-Africa relations.

Following in the tradition of Chinese foreign ministers starting every new year with a visit to Africa, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Eritrea, Kenya and the Comoros from January 4 to 7, 2022 upon invitation by the respective hosts. This will be the 32nd annual visit to the continent.

Making the announcement on December 2, 2021 Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry noted that this customary visit demonstrates the great importance China attaches to its traditional friendship with Africa and the development of China-Africa relations.

For Sino-Africa experts and watchers alike, this is one of the most important annual highlights and sets the tone of how the partners will react to geopolitical issues going forward. It is also a barometer of how the two have reacted to external pressure bent on putting a spanner in their socio-economic and even political works.

That China and Africa have formed a close bond in a long running relationship spanning more than five decades is not in doubt. Currently, China has established diplomatic relations with 53 African countries, in addition to 160 pairings with sister provinces or cities between the two partners. This shows the depth of cooperation and closeness that has progressively developed over time.

China has established 61 Confucius Institutes and 48 Confucius Classrooms in Africa. Language is a crucial channel in creating mutual understanding, which informs the establishment of these basic language and cultural centers. It is also added value for Africans who, with the addition of Mandarin to their lingua franca and foreign second languages, are becoming truly global citizens through multilingualism. But it is expected that with Sino-Africa relations becoming widespread in Africa, Mandarin will replace most foreign languages in the continent in a span of less than 50 years.

China’s COVID-19 assistance to Africa is well documented. Recently, President Xi Jinping announced that China will provide another one billion doses of COVID vaccines to Africa, including 600 million doses as a donation, to help the countries achieve the goal set by the African Union of vaccinating 60 percent of the African population by 2022. Africa will also benefit immensely from China’s COVID-19 assistance to developing countries bilaterally, and even through multilateral channels like the COVAX Facility.

During the eighth ministerial conference of the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Dakar, Senegal in November, 2021 China pledged to permit $300 billion worth ofAfrican imports in the next three years. It also promised $10 billion in trade finance to support African exports. Chinese businesses will also invest at least $10 billion in Africa over the next three years, and offer $10 billion worth of credit facilities to African financial institutions.

In a great gesture of genuine friendship, China said it is ready to channel $10 billion to African countries from China’s share of the International Monetary Fund’s new allocation of special drawing rights. To cap it all on this front, Chinese companies in Africa plan to create not less than 800,000 local jobs.

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The year 2021 marked the 65th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between China and African countries. Almost by design, Agenda 2063’s flagship projects reflect FOCAC’s pillars. These are wide ranging sectors in the areas of infrastructure, science and technology, education as well as arts and culture. Specifically, Sino-Africa cooperation has experienced either the conception, emergence or realization of some major initiatives, some of these together with other African partners.

These include the ten major cooperation programs envisioned by President Xi during the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit in December 2015 – agricultural modernization, infrastructure, finance, green development, trade and investment facilitation, poverty reduction, public health, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and peace and security.

Over the past two decades, Chinese overseas Foreign Direct Investment to Africa has grown, from $75 million in 2003 to $ 5.4 billion in 2018. Through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has

also expanded its sphere of influence in Africa, and specifically through investment in infrastructure development such as industrial parks, railway, ports, and roads among others.

During the launch of a report in Nairobi titled “Shared Prosperity: Tracking the Belt and Road Initiative in Kenya, 2018-2021” held in November, President and Chief Executive of the Africa Policy Institute, Prof Peter Kagwanja, observed that the centuries-old reservoir of collective wisdom and philosophy carries the values of cooperation and solidarity between China and Africa as two old civilizations with a long history of friendly interactions and mutual cooperation.

Today, FOCAC and BRI form the twin-engines of the SinoAfrica architecture now propelling Africa’s development. China has committed at least $200 billion to lift Africa from poverty and underdevelopment. After BRI was launched, China has extended a $120 billion dollar lifeline, $60 billion in 2015 and another $60 billion in 2018. This is the largest bailout in human history, and the first ever by a developing nation like China,” observed Prof Kagwanja.

As noted during FOCAC, China has become an indispensable partner in Africa’s development, and the forum has now become the most important accelerator for Sino-Africa cooperation. Africa supports and will actively participate in the Global Development Initiative and the Initiative on Partnership for Africa’s Development, both of which are Chinese led initiatives.Further, Africa expects greater support from China for herindustrialisation and fight against the pandemic. Africa stands ready to contribute to high-quality Belt and Road cooperation for people’s well-being and common prosperity.

[Stephen Ndegwa is a Nairobi-based communication expert, lecturer-scholar at the United States International University-Africa, author and international affairs columnist]

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Which sectors are Chinese investments in Africa focusing on?

Technology companies like Huawei lead technology transfer, training, and telecommunications investments, while Hisense has established manufacturing and training facilities in countries like South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria .

Title:

Content: People 's Daily Online > > Economy and Technology
Hisense and other enterprises are included in the "China Enterprise Investment in Africa Report (2023)"
October 26, 2023 16: 39 | Source: China Economic Network
Small number
Original title: Hisense South Africa model: written into the "China Enterprise Investment Africa Report (2023)"
On October 24, the China Enterprise Investment in Africa Report (2023) was released in Beijing.
The report pointed out that Chinese enterprises are an important force in promoting the development and transformation of Africa's industrial chain.
Under the guidance of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, China-Africa industrial chain cooperation has helped Africa's industrial chain development and transformation through six modes, such as industrial docking and capacity cooperation, industrial parks and industrial investment, infrastructure and industrial foundation, technology transfer and talent training, demand and supply promotion, and institutional innovation and practice exploration.
Hisense, Huawei and other enterprises have been included in the report for actively promoting talent localization as a model case.
Through the analysis of more than 90 Chinese enterprises and 20 China-Africa cooperation projects, the report explores the impact of the China-Africa policy framework and existing cooperation models on the African industrial chain, highlights the role of Chinese enterprises in the development and transformation of the African industrial chain, and points out the basic ideas for the development and transformation of the African industrial chain and the future potential of China-Africa industrial chain cooperation.
Wu Peng, Director of the African Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, said that as a partner in Africa's exploration of modernization, China will build the Belt and Road and the China-Africa Cooperation Forum platform, strengthen the docking with the African Union's Agenda 2063 and African countries' development strategies, especially through investment cooperation to promote Africa's industrialization development, enhance the added value of African resources, and expand the share of African manufacturing industry chain.
The report pointed out that the successful transfer of technology depends on the cultivation of talents, and China strongly supports the development of education in Africa.
Chinese companies are also actively promoting localization of non-talent, such as Huawei and Hisense.
Taking Hisense South Africa Industrial Park as an example, the report introduces the measures taken by Chinese enterprises to actively promote localization and training of African talents.
In 2013, Hisense and the China-Africa Fund jointly invested in the construction of Hisense South Africa Industrial Park, which is the largest domestic appliance manufacturing plant in South Africa in 40 years by Chinese enterprises, and has now formed a complete and complete industrial chain with products exported to more than 20 African countries.
At present, Hisense South Africa employs more than 700 local employees, accounting for 90% of the total number of employees, and about 70% of the management positions are occupied by local employees. A total of 1,400 trainees have been trained at the base, which helps them master electronic technology, software and equipment control.
It is understood that the report is the third release after 2021 and 2022, and was prepared by the China-Africa Civil Chamber of Commerce, which was co-authored by the China-Africa Civil Chamber of Commerce and the China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Research Institute.
Nearly 300 delegates from African countries, including those who came to China to attend the 16th Senior Officials Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, attended the meeting.
(Editor: Cao Miao, Li Yuan)
Public Number ： People 's Network Finance
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Which countries are preferred FDI destinations in Africa?

Which sectors are Chinese investments in Africa focusing on?

European Union: The UK holds $65 billion in FDI stock in Africa, focusing on oil, gas, mining, and financial services.

Which European countries lead investment in Africa?

Which countries are actively investing in Africa besides China?

France and the Netherlands are active investors across North and West Africa, supporting a range of sectors from extractives to consumer goods.

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

United States and G7: The US and other G7 nations are increasing activity in Africa, spurred by both competition with China and initiatives such as the Build Back Better World (B3W) plan, which prioritizes digital infrastructure, energy, healthcare, and climate-related investment .

Title:

Content: Japan, Korea and India experience to expand Africa, Taiwan and Africa entrepreneurs association
The “Taiwan-Africa Entrepreneurs Association ”, commissioned by the International Trade Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, attracted more than 130 enterprises interested in exploring the African market. The exhibition and consultation desk at the representative office showed that our company's desire to expand the African market is very hot.
The theme of the event was “The Key to Success for Foreign Investors (Japan, Korea and India) in Expanding Africa ”. The event was addressed by Wang Ximeng, Secretary General of the Foreign Trade Association, Liu William, Deputy Director of the Bureau of International Trade of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Msibi, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Swaziland, and Chen Shu-fang, President of the Association of Taiwan Commerce. In addition, Hung Sheng Packaging General Manager Tang Jung-hung, Yi Ho Industrial General Manager Fu Yang-li, and Nam Wei Industrial Strategy Director Yang Wei-han analyze the development opportunities in Africa from their practical experience in the packaging, building materials, and textile industries.
Wang Ximeng, secretary general of the Foreign Trade Association, pointed out that in addition to the competition between Europe, America and China over the layout of the African continent, Japan, South Korea, India and other countries in Asia are committed to increasing investment and economic cooperation in Africa.
There are more than 1.3 million people of Indian descent in Africa, such as in East Africa, where more than 60% of the economic lifeline is controlled by Indians.
In addition, 18 of India's 25 newly established embassies and consulates are located in Africa, and India has become the fifth largest investor in Africa, while Japanese automobile manufacturers Toyota, Nissan, and electrical appliance giant Toshiba have already planted flags in Africa; South Korea's Hyundai, Samsung, LG and other large enterprises have also been stationed in Africa.
Through this event, we hope to help our business people to learn from foreign companies such as Japan, Korea and India, as well as African market leaders, and shorten the path to enter the African market.
Liu, deputy director of the International Trade Bureau, said that in recent years, the global economy has continued to be volatile due to changes in the international situation such as Sino-US trade frictions, global inflation, and the Russian-Ukrainian war, but Africa has shown great resilience during this period.
In addition, foreign direct investment in Africa reached US $45 billion in 2022, which has returned to the pre-epidemic level, indicating that confidence in investment in Africa has gradually recovered. In 2022, the total import and export value of Africa reached a new high in recent years, with imports reaching US $694.5 billion, up 14%, and exports reaching US $661.4 billion, up 19%. It is hoped that through the activities of the association, upstream and downstream companies in various industries can learn from each other and share their experiences, and work together to promote Taiwan-Africa economic and trade relations.
The event will be held in conjunction with AGOA, a major textile manufacturer in South China, and the representative offices of African embassies in Taiwan, Africa-related associations, and import and export banks providing trade and financial services. For more information, please visit africa.taiwantrade.com for more information.

Which countries are actively investing in Africa besides China?

Gulf States: Investors from the UAE and Saudi Arabia are rising in importance, making significant investments across infrastructure, agriculture, real estate, and logistics .

Japan and South Korea: Major automotive and electronics firms such as Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Samsung, and LG have established or expanded manufacturing plants and distribution networks in various African countries .

Which countries are actively investing in Africa besides China?

Which sectors received the most foreign investment?

India: While India’s absolute investment volume is smaller, its companies in pharmaceuticals, ICT, and agriculture are active in East and West Africa .

Which Asian countries are investing in Africa?

Which countries are actively investing in Africa besides China?

Europe, U.S. Japan, South Korea, India
India

Which sectors received the most foreign investment?

Skills development and partnership models are a defining feature of recent FDI in Africa, with numerous collaborations targeted specifically at workforce training, technology transfer, and capacity building.

Chinese multinational enterprises have created industrial parks and launched coordinated programs across the continent, with workplaces such as Hisense’s South Africa Industrial Park offering local management and technical training.

What is the impact of Chinese companies on jobs in Africa?

Which sectors are Chinese investments in Africa focusing on?

industrial parks
Labor-intensive manufacturing

Which sectors received the most foreign investment?

Huawei’s Africa-based operations feature dedicated digital talent training, which helps foster local expertise and employment opportunities, particularly in the growing ICT sector.

Title:

Content: Gartner Releases Top 10 Predictions for IT Organizations and Users in 2022 and Beyond
Source ： CIO and CTO Channel 2021-10-27 18: 40: 05
Keyword: Gartner
Gartner today released its top 10 strategic predictions for 2022 and beyond. Gartner ’ s top 10 predictions explore the lessons learned from continued disruption and uncertainty for enterprises and IT leaders in three ways.
Gartner today released its top 10 strategic predictions for 2022 and beyond. Gartner ’ s top 10 predictions explore the lessons learned from continued disruption and uncertainty for enterprises and IT leaders in three ways.
These three areas are: moving in a people-oriented direction, striving to improve resilience, and the ability to exceed expectations.
Daryl Plummer, Gartner Distinguished Research Vice President and Academician Analyst, said: “The lesson we learned from this outbreak is to anticipate the unexpected and be prepared to move in multiple strategic directions at the same time.
Leaders committed to supporting work model choices, improving business efficiency, and accelerating transformation initiatives are more resilient to change.
“Resilience, opportunity and risk have always been an integral part of good business strategies, but they have taken on new meaning today.
This year ’ s forecast reflects the need to build resilience in a more non-traditional way, from talent to business modularity, while also addressing opportunities and risks with a greater sense of urgency than ever before. ”
By 2024, 40% of consumers will intentionally mislead behavior tracking data on personal devices, reducing the value of collected personal information and making it difficult for personal information to be re-sold.
Consumers are increasingly aware of the value that companies derive from their personal information and the role that this data plays when manipulating behavior through recommendation algorithms.
In response, some consumers are trying to take various strategies to undermine the effectiveness of this tracking method, such as by sharing false information or clicking on ads or product links that they are not interested in.
According to Plummer, “Consumers are defying the maxim of ‘ If you ’ re not a customer, you ’ re the product ’ by manipulating algorithms and misleading data. ”
Whether it ’ s for privacy and security reasons, or to divulge misinformation or pursue personal financial gain, consumers are doing this to reduce the value of the personal behavior data that companies rely on for their decisions. ”
By 2024, due to the self-directed and hybrid nature of work, 30% of corporate teams will have no manager to manage.
The outbreak has allowed organizations to embed agility into their business operations and streamline their business processes to the core value.
This includes a shift from a centralized decision-making mechanism to one based on a peer-to-peer network, which reduces bottlenecks and saves time in hybrid work environments.
As organizations continue to adopt hybrid work models, reducing the role of traditional managers may be a more pragmatic way to improve efficiency.
According to Plummer, “In an era where team empowerment and autonomy are needed to achieve business agility, managers as job commanders and controllers have become a major barrier to business agility.
Organizations still have to retain the planning, prioritization and organization of work, but need to decouple ‘ business management ’ from the traditional ‘ manager ’ role in order to benefit from business agility and hybrid work models. ”
By 2025, the use of synthetic data will reduce data collection for individual customers, thus avoiding 70% of privacy violations.
Data generated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, known as synthetic data, is accelerating.
Synthetic data can replace real data, which will reduce the collection, use or sharing of sensitive information.
This is significant as evolving and regionally diverse privacy regulations put pressure on organizations to reduce the risk of privacy violations and ensure resilience.
According to Plummer, “Since synthetic data can reflect various realities of the future, and not just the past as reflected by real data, it makes AI a true oracle. ”
A large amount of high-quality synthetic data will effectively help us understand ordinary human behavior patterns.
In 2024, cyber attacks will severely disrupt critical infrastructure, leading G20 members to respond with force.
Cyberattacks have long been viewed by countries as a crime rather than a war.
But as losses from recent large-scale attacks on critical infrastructure have reached unprecedented levels, some governments are preparing for cyber warfare through dedicated cyber defense units.
In the short term, companies are still responsible for defending against cyberattacks.
But companies have never been given the responsibility to act as the first line of defense in cyberwarfare, so the increasing cyberattacks of the future will force the military to intervene and ultimately deter attacks by non-state actors against critical infrastructure.
By 2024, 80% of CIOs surveyed will have business modularity and redesign as one of the top five reasons to accelerate performance improvement through business competency assembly.
According to Plummer, “Market turbulence occurred before the outbreak and will continue after the outbreak.
Efforts to return to stability do not allow organizations to thrive in the “recovery ” phase following the current outage.
Aggressive CIOs are shifting their mindset, viewing market uncertainty as an opportunity.
The modular redesign of business assembly capabilities or business processes minimizes intercoupling, allowing us to quickly, easily, and securely recombine workflows.
It effectively fills an organization ’ s toolbox, enabling CIOs to navigate the risks associated with accelerating change in the business.
By 2025, 75% of companies will “break up ” with non-target customers because the cost of maintaining such customers exceeds the cost of acquiring the right customers.
Organizations often eliminate potential non-target customers in their sales channels, but few organizations will actively identify such customers as non-target customers and “break up ” with them after they purchase products or services.
But whether it ’ s the time it takes to meet the needs of such customers, or the potential opportunity costs, brand downgrades and long-term profit erosion, maintaining these customers can incur high costs.
A 30% increase in developer talent across Africa between now and 2026 will help transform Africa into a leading global startup ecosystem with a growth rate comparable to Asia ’ s.
The influx of venture capital has led some countries in Africa to expand cooperation between large companies and start-ups by developing “innovation hubs ” to attract talent and foreign investment.
Kenya ’ s booming tech sector, for example, is known as East Africa ’ s “Silicon Valley, ” and its $1 billion tech ecosystem offers an attractive space for entrepreneurs, investors and tech experts.
In 2026, non-homogeneous token (NFT) gamification will push companies into the top 10 by market capitalization.
NFT is becoming a way to multiply business models with hyper-tokenization. The value proposition of NFT is based on the expectation that buyers will be willing to pay more for digital artifacts in a network of like-minded people.
Gartner predicts that by 2024, 50% of public companies will have some kind of NFTNFT that underpins their brand and / or digital ecosystem presence, which will be a powerful marketing tool to support the digital ecosystem ’ s impact and accelerate the growth of enterprise market capitalization.
By 2027, low-orbit satellites will extend the reach of the world ’ s 1 billion poorest people, lifting 50% of them out of poverty.
The use of satellite backhaul technology can greatly reduce the installation and operation costs of deploying cellular base stations.
Satellites are also capable of providing island-style connectivity based on the customer's location.
With the advent of LEO (Low Earth Orbit) constellations, we will be able to extend network coverage to sparsely populated areas in an economical manner.
According to Plummer, “The advent of the web allowed people to participate in the economic and political activities of a larger ecosystem. ”
The billions of new Internet users will have a profound impact on the existing Internet in terms of culture and content, "he said.
By 2027, a quarter of Fortune ’ s top 20 companies will be replaced by companies that massively mine and influence subconscious behavior.
According to Plummer, “Most executives have realized that every company is a technology company.
The winners of the next decade will be experts in the field of neural mining who will use applied behavioral intelligence and related technologies to analyze, understand and influence human behavior at scale. ”
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What is the impact of Chinese companies on jobs in Africa?

Which sectors are Chinese investments in Africa focusing on?

These public-private partnerships and programs are often explicitly designed to generate new jobs, increase local value addition, and provide knowledge and skills transfer to African workforces .

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Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Al-Mashat delivers a speech at the regional workshop on the exchange of experiences in the field of entrepreneurship promotion
Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, delivered the opening speech at the Regional Workshop on Sharing Experiences in Entrepreneurship Promotion, organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB) within the framework of the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Consulting Initiative, which was launched in 2019 by the Bank through its Regional Office for North Africa to support the sector in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.
In her video speech, the Minister of International Cooperation stressed the importance of the initiative launched by the African Development Bank as part of efforts to support entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprises in the North African region, and the importance of the workshop in strengthening regional partnerships, sharing best practices, exploring innovative solutions in the field of entrepreneurship, including the informal sector and enhancing impact investment.
Egypt is continuing to strengthen its efforts with multilateral and bilateral development partners to support the role played by the private sector as well as medium and small companies and entrepreneurs to create jobs, increase employment rates and support economic growth.
In line with the recommendations of the Economic Conference Egypt 2022, the Ministry of International Cooperation has launched Hafez platform for financial and technical support for the private sector, which is the first integrated platform linking financial and non-financial services provided by multilateral and bilateral development partners to the local and foreign private sector to support development efforts in Egypt. A key pillar of inclusive and sustainable growth, and the largest supporter of the labor market through the creation of more employment opportunities in various fields, indicating the readiness of the Ministry through the African Development Bank initiative to exchange experiences with countries in the continent of Africa on the mechanism of launching the platform.
She pointed out that international partners have made available over the past four years from 2020 to 2023 about $10.3 billion in financing, whether in the form of development financing or investments to the private sector, in addition to technical support, although there are some challenges that prevented some companies from knowing what development partners provide services to the private sector.
Digitization, innovation and entrepreneurship are at the forefront of the Ministry of International Cooperation ’ s current portfolio includes 36 projects worth about $1 billion that contribute to the implementation of 12 Sustainable Development Goals, she said, adding that regional interest in supporting entrepreneurship, start-ups and small projects can enhance South-South cooperation efforts between countries.
The African Development Bank ’ s EInA initiative guides public policies to promote entrepreneurship and support small and medium enterprises (SMEs), improve the design of programs that support SMEs, and develop innovative solutions to address the challenges that prevent companies from scaling up and achieving sustainability.

What are the outcomes of increased agricultural investments in Africa?

What is the impact of Chinese companies on jobs in Africa?

Renewable and green energy investments are emerging as particularly significant.

Morocco stands out with a $20 billion wind energy export project aimed at the UK, and countries including Ghana, Angola, Senegal, and Mozambique are setting ambitious growth targets for renewables.

The combination of abundant natural resources and growing demand from developed economies for green solutions positions Africa as a potential hub for clean energy, battery manufacturing, and the associated supply chain—including mineral processing in Zimbabwe and Zambia .

African startups and growing companies have also engaged directly with foreign investors, venture capital funds, and accelerators.

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Content: Subscribe to industry newsletters

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Raising venture capital - is it the right path for your startup?

Over the last 50 years, venture capital has been a vital source of financing for early-stage high-growth companies that have not yet been listed on any stock exchange. With Africa being put on the map as a tech hub, there will continue to be an increase in the number of entrepreneurs seeking growth capital for their businesses.
Christopher Ball, co-founder of Finch Technologies | image supplied

According to APVCA's Venture Capital in Africa report, during 2021 we saw 650 venture capital (VC) deals raising $5.2bn in total, marking a 104% increase from the 319 reported in 2020. These numbers reflect the welcomed evolution in Africa's entrepreneurial space.

With any business’ growth plan, timing is everything, so when is the right time to raise venture capital, and when is it time to pull the plug?

Raising venture capital is no easy feat, and you’ll need to put in the leg work in order to attract VC firms and investors. Depending on the stage of your business, you will be required to show business traction and an operating model of success.

If there are investors that show interest in your business, traction, and your team, they may well go into full due diligence of the business.

Starting off with a full review of the business operations, the market that the business is playing in, the growth opportunity and whether the unit economics make sense.

There are five vital questions that will guide your decision on whether raising venture capital is the right path:

Will your startup be worth significantly more in five years’ time?

VC investors, who are the real risk-holders when investing, want to see the fruits of their labour and will only invest in startups that have the potential to become large profitable businesses.

A typical VC model indicates that in a portfolio of 10 investments, there are likely only two investments that shoot the lights out and succeed. The ones that do succeed are ones with a solid business model and promising profit trajectory.

Venture funds generally have a five–10-year ROI game plan for their limited partners (investors). These investors need to believe your business can be exponentially more profitable in the next five years. So, if you think you’ll be able to generate a sizeable revenue, then VC funding can be the ideal growth solution.

Are you prepared to lose full control?

If you go down the route of seeking capital from a VC fund, you’ll need to be fully aware and ready to sell. Most venture capitalists will want startups to follow through with an exit strategy either with a sale or IPO. This is likely to happen before they’ve reached the 10-year mark.

As a startup founder, it’s likely that you went down the startup route because you like having control over your business decisions. Raising capital starts with realising you won’t have full reigns over your company anymore, and your investors and board members will be crucial members in the decision-making.

According to Crunchbase, the median and average level of VC ownership at exit will be 53% and 50% respectively. Meaning, that by the time your company sells, the VC will likely own half of your business.

Have you found the ‘right’ strategic VC partner?

As much as you need to impress venture capital investors, you also need to find the right VC firm to help accelerate your startup growth. You’ll also need to ensure that the VC firm invests in the stage of funding you are looking for – as investors actively pursuing deals in other stages might not be relevant. Do some digging when it comes to past deals from that specific VC firm, do they share an investment ethos that suits your needs?

When seeking the right venture capitalist, you’ll need to know that they will be willing to leverage their own broader professional networks to help you succeed. If you don’t find the right fit, it’s also okay to pull the plug and take a step back from the capital raising process.

Will you be able to focus on raising capital?

The lure of money often leads founders to drastically underestimate the time, effort, and creative energy required to bring in the dough. If you’re already overwhelmed when it comes to creating and getting products into the market, then you might want to give it a couple of months or years before you commit to a venture capital journey.

In current market conditions, it is advised that founders and CEOs raise enough money to get them through the next two years.

Founders will need to spend at least a quarter of their time focused on fundraising and managing their burn rate very well. Part of this will be understanding the ins and outs of your business, putting together a pitch deck and creating valuation terms (how much you need, will use, etc).

When raising venture capital, you need to be prepared for plenty of rejection, and with this comes carving out time for multiple rounds of meetings with potential investors.

Unicorns becoming part of Africa’s already rich fauna horizon

Globally there are thousands of successful and lucrative VC firms, some of the best known are A2Z and Sequoia. According to APVCA, 75% of investors active in Africa in 2021 were international and 25% were Africa-based. Africa is one of the fastest growing VC markets globally and this trend shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.

Locally there are a handful of experienced VCs who play across the funding spectrum with 4DI, Nire Capital, Weaver, Crossfin Ventures, PIP invests and Parktown Capital among the top firms leading the way. Crossfin Ventures invests in early-stage businesses, as well as later-stage opportunities, whereas PIP invests in the earlier rounds of business funding cycles.

In 2021, VC deals poured more money into Africa than the seven years prior combined, with fintech dominating as the most active sector by volume at 32%, according to APVCA’s VC in Africa report.

There has been rapid growth for startups offering practical yet innovative solutions that address challenges for African consumers and this has piqued the interest of VC investors. The continent should brace itself for the influx of unicorns on the horizon.

About Christopher Ball

Christopher Ball is co-founder of Finch Technologies, a South African-based financial solutions developer.

Let's do Biz

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

Fintech leaders like Flutterwave (Nigeria) and digital finance innovators such as M-KOPA (Kenya), who facilitate solar energy and mobile payments, demonstrate how international capital is fueling African business growth and job creation.

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

Which African countries are driving the venture capital ecosystem?

Which countries are preferred FDI destinations in Africa?

Startups frequently partner with multinationals for funding, mentorship, and market access—giving rise to a dynamic ecosystem where young professionals with business administration backgrounds are in high demand for roles in management, operations, project coordination, marketing, and strategy .

In summary, foreign investment in African countries presents a diversity of opportunities that span regions and sectors.

What trends are emerging for African startups in 2022?

The focus on renewables, digital finance, telecommunications, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics aligns with major global trends and suggests robust career opportunities for graduates with business and management skills.

Advanced multinational collaborations and the strong role of regional policy frameworks like AfCFTA mean that future African business leaders—especially those equipped with cross-cultural, digital, and management competencies—will be well positioned for success in an increasingly interconnected market.

Africa’s evolving FDI landscape is thus set to generate not only financial inflows and infrastructure but also significant avenues for employment, professional growth, and entrepreneurial ventures.

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Content: People 's Network > > International
A Closer Community with a Shared Future for Central Africa
October 02, 2021 05: 04 | Source: People's Daily - People's Daily
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China and Africa have always been good partners on the road of common development, and the deepening of economic and trade cooperation has become a vivid portrayal of the common destiny of China and Africa.
The second China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, with the theme of "New Starting Point, New Opportunity and New Action", came to an end a few days ago.
Nearly 900 enterprises and tens of thousands of guests from China and more than 40 African countries met through online and offline integration to achieve fruitful results, fully demonstrating the strong momentum and surging vitality of the upgrading of China-Africa pragmatic cooperation.
In September 2018, at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, President Xi Jinping announced the establishment of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, aiming to build a platform for deepening economic and trade cooperation between the two sides.
Today, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Fair has become a new platform for promoting the implementation of the economic and trade measures of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and a new window for local economic and trade cooperation with Africa.
The China-Africa Economic and Trade Fair will help Africa and China explore the best way to complement each other's advantages and take concrete measures to promote economic partnership in various fields and create a new mode of economic cooperation between Africa and China.
China and Africa have always been good partners on the road of common development, and the deepening of economic and trade cooperation has become a vivid portrayal of the common destiny of China and Africa.
China has been Africa ’ s largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years.
From January to July this year, China-Africa trade volume reached 139.1 billion US dollars, an increase of 40.5 percent, reaching the highest level in the same period in history.
African products such as flowers from Kenya, coffee from Rwanda, white pepper from Cameroon and peanuts from Senegal are increasingly entering Chinese households. African youth can buy clothes, bags, home appliances and other favorite "Made in China" through e-commerce platforms without leaving their homes. It has not only created a large number of employment opportunities for African countries, but also vigorously promoted the process of industrialization and economic restructuring in African countries.
China and Africa have always been a community of shared destiny, and the two sides are closely linked by common historical experiences, common development tasks and common strategic interests.
In recent years, China has upheld the concept of true sincerity towards Africa policy and the correct concept of justice and interests, continuously promoted the construction of a closer China-Africa community of shared future, and China-Africa political mutual trust has become increasingly solid, and pragmatic cooperation in trade and investment, infrastructure, and emerging industries has yielded fruitful results, contributing to the independent and sustainable development of African countries and the well-being of the Chinese people.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, China and Africa have kept watch and helped each other, never left behind, and their traditional friendship has been further sublimated, and cooperation in various fields has been further deepened.
More than 1,100 of China ’ s Belt and Road cooperation projects in Africa have continued to operate, and nearly 100,000 Chinese technical and engineering personnel have held their posts.
A number of railway, highway and power station projects have resumed work after overcoming the impact of the epidemic, making important contributions to the local economic and social development.
African leaders said with deep feeling that Africa-China relations are based on all-round cooperation and win-win results, China is a sincere friend of Africa, and African countries cannot do without China's help for their development.
Go fast alone, go far.
This proverb deeply interprets the true meaning of win-win cooperation.
He said that strengthening Sino-African friendly cooperation is an unswerving choice for China's diplomacy
Bringing together the magnificent power of the 2.7 billion Central African people will provide the most powerful guarantee for safeguarding common interests and create a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.
People 's Daily (02 October 2021)
(Edited by: Yuan Bo, Niu Yong)
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