How do African countries stack up against other emerging markets?
May 19, 2015 Emerging markets have been at the top of multinationals’ agenda over the past few years. China and India are growing around three times faster than developed economies, while many African countries offer unexploited opportunities for long-term investments . But when compared with other emerging markets, how does continental Africa match up to
Search for Africa’s next top female entrepreneur begins
May 19, 2015 On 7th of May, 2015, premium platform for showcasing female entrepreneurs in Africa, She Leads Africa (SLA), announced the launch of its 2015 SLA Pitch Competition. The annual program, which identifies young African women who have demonstrated exceptional commitment towards developing the continent’s entrepreneurial society, will be accepting applications from May 1
Investment Firms Funding Retail Developments In East Africa
May 18, 2015 East Africa’s shopping landscape is slowly changing with the construction of multi-million dollar centres in prominent cities. Many projects are being developed by investment firms and private equity funds eager to cash in on the region’s burgeoning consumer markets. In Nairobi, London-based private equity firm Actis is set to open its $250m Garden
How to fight poverty without aid
May 14, 2015 Non-profit global venture fund, Acumen has announced its expansion to support social entrepreneurship in Latin America. The impact investor will be headquartered in Bogotá and will invest in innovative entrepreneurs and establishments in Colombia and Peru. Despite the rapid growth of Colombia’s economy over the years, inequality still persists in the country. While
Rare African plant signals diamonds lurking under the surface
May 13, 2015 The discovery has already yielded several large specimens, with prospectors hoping to find more If a plant recently discovered in Liberia is as picky as it appears, then diamond hunters may have just had their job made much easier. Geologists have identified Pandanus candelabrum, a thorny, palmlike plant, which seems to exclusively
Opinion: Banking Africa’s Unbanked – Time For A Reality Check
May 11, 2015 Plenty of progress has been made on increasing the size of Africa’s banked population. The trouble is, from the amount of noise that is made about the topic, you would be forgiven for thinking we had fixed the problem when we really haven’t. According to the World Bank, today, 62 per cent
Foreign tech investors face culture shock in Africa
May 11, 2015 Issues involved grow in importance as foreign VC funding in Africa increases With venture capital into Africa on the rise, tech startups are excited about the increase in funding from developed countries, but relationships with foreign investors are not always smooth. Differences among cultures, economies and business environments are a big reason
This Is Serious: Dubai Banks Allegedly Shut Down Accounts Of Nigerians
May 10, 2015 In what may come across as a fresh diplomatic row between the United Arabs Emirates (UAE) and Nigeria, it has been revealed that the UAE Central bank this week enacted a new policy prohibiting Nigerians who do not work in their country from operating accounts in any of their local or foreign
Why increased global trading is good for Africa
May 8, 2015 “Trade is the best cure for prejudice. It is an almost general rule that, wherever there is good citizenship, there is trade, and that, wherever there is trade, there is good citizenship.” – French philosopher Montesquieu. Philosophically, it could be argued that nations are endowed with different sets of natural resources for
African Job Seekers Will Exceed Rest Of World Combined By 2035
May 7, 2015 By 2035, Africans joining the working-age population (ages 15 to 64) will exceed the number of job seekers from the rest of the world combined, according to a new International Monetary Fund report, CNN reports. That means it’s increasingly likely that the person — or people — you compete with for a job will be