On March 21, 2018, 44 African countries signed the African Union’s (AU) Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA). The AU aims to use the ACFTA as a conduit for the creation of a single market and customs union on the African…
Insights from the field: Capturing public sector opportunities in Nigeria
Nigeria’s economic outlook has improved markedly in the last six months. Companies are benefitting from greater availability of foreign currency and lower inflation, while more investment is flowing in and the government’s fiscal position is improving. Investment into non-oil sectors…
On-The-Ground Insight: Mozambique
In early 2017, Mozambique defaulted on its international debt obligations following revelations of public sector hidden loans, causing a fiscal crisis for the government. Consumers, meanwhile, have suffered from double digit inflation, a drought in rural areas, and a civil…
New leadership in Angola could put SSA’s third largest market back on track
Getting a visa to travel to Angola used to be a major operation. Numerous invitation letters, proof of sufficient funds and other ‘evidence’ had to be provided before waiting many hours in line at the embassy to be allowed entry…
Will Nigeria’s return to growth create new opportunities for MNCs? The view from Lagos
MNC executives view Nigeria as one of the foremost risks facing their SSA portfolios due to the country’s lackluster growth. On my recent trip there, during which I spoke to executives, journalists, industry experts, and bankers, I found this pessimism…
Adapting to succeed in Ghana’s disparate retail landscape
Ghana’s headline-grabbing GDP growth rates fueled by an oil boom since the late 2000s have contributed to an increase in disposable income of the country’s consumer class, and spurred substantial investor interest from multinational companies (MNCs) keen to capture rising…
Cameroon: An untapped SSA opportunity?
While multinationals are focusing their Sub-Saharan African strategies on getting more out of their existing markets and capturing additional demand in the region’s large opportunities, the region also offers some under-the-radar opportunities that many companies are not tapping into. One…