Africa Archives

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Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

MOZAMBIQUE COMING INTO ITS OWN

Country Report | Mozambique Mozambique is the current star in Africa’s rising inward-investment constellation. For much of the last quarter of the 20th century, Mozambique was a war zone. Today the only war on its horizon is a bidders war, as investors salivate over the opportunities this Southern African country offers.

Economics, Policy & Regulation

NIGERIA: FORTHCOMING ELECTIONS PROMPT FEAR AMONG VOTERS

Nigeria | Milestones Nigerians go to the polls next month with some trepidation...

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

SOUTH AMERICA’S TOTAL TAX RATE SURPASSES THAT OF AFRICA

Corporate Tax | Trends By replacing cascading sales taxes with a value-added tax (VAT), Africa has succeeded in lowering its total tax rate to 46.6% from a peak of 72.2% in 2005.

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

SOVEREIGN DEBT: AFRICAN BORROWERS ACTIVE AHEAD OF FED RATE MOVES

Sovereign Debt | Capital Markets Governments in Africa issued a record amount of debt in international markets in 2014, taking advantage of strong investor demand and low borrowing costs ahead of the Federal Reserve’s expected rate increases this year.

Banking

Deepening Africa’s Financial Markets

Africa | Emerging Markets Regional Review African economies are well on their way to transforming the region’s status from a frontier to an emerging market. The IMF predicts Africa will grow by 5.8% in 2015, up from 5.1% this year, with Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique projected to growth over 8%.

Economics, Policy & Regulation

TUNISIA: COMPROMISE IS KEY TO STABILITY

Tunisia | Newsmakers Elections in Tunisia in October, which saw the secular Nidaa Tounes party (39.7%) narrowly beat the incumbent Islamic party, Ennahda (31.8% of the vote), were widely praised for being free and fair. Questions remain, however, about their democratic robustness.

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

LEVANT: LONG-TERM PROSPECTS OUTWEIGH INSTABILITIES

Regional Focus | The Levant Offshore energy reserves, a stable banking sector and infrastructure gaps all present opportunities for foreign investment in the Levant region.

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

AFRICA’S CONSUMER BOOM

AFRICA 2014 | INTRA-AFRICA TRADE The rise of the African consumer market is providing an opportunity for domestic companies to increase their footprint across the region.

Economics, Policy & Regulation

CEMENTING REGIONAL TIES

AFRICA 2014 | UNITY Africa’s dream of greater economic unity is gradually becoming a reality, with plans to establish a free-trade area spanning eastern and southern African countries well under way. Yet it could take time for the associated economic and trading benefits to play out.

Emerging & Frontier Markets

DESTINATION: AFRICA

AFRICA 2014 | TOURISM SECTOR Despite setbacks, Africa’s tourism industry is an increasing driver of economic development across the continent.

Economics, Policy & Regulation

ELUMELU RETURNS TO UBA TO CONSOLIDATE AFRICA GAINS

NEWSMAKERS | POLAND Tony Elumelu, former managing director and CEO of United Bank for Africa, returned to the bank in late August as chairman, following his appointment by the shareholders.

News

MADE IN AFRICA, FOR AFRICA

AFRICA 2014 | INTRODUCTION Though Africa has experienced impressive growth for well over a decade now, domestic markets and intraregional economic relations have remained constrained, with national economies driven primarily by mounting foreign demand for the continent’s natural resources and commodity exports.Today, however, things appear to be changing. For one thing, Africa is witnessing the emergence of a middle class.