Nigeria, strongest economy besides South Africa

Nigeria is the most important economic power in Africa besides South Africa. Nigeria has been producing oil for more than 50 years, yet a large part of the population lives in oppressive poverty. The consequences of oil production for the environment are catastrophic in the Niger Delta. Africa’s most populous country is dynamic, diverse, but also rich in conflict. These are often carried out along ethnic and religious dividing lines. Current articles on Nigeria can be found here.

Source: www.tagesspiegel.de, 2019

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Ethiopia plants more than 350 million trees in one day

Ethiopia has set a new tree plant record: More than 350 million trees were planted in the drought-stricken country on Monday. This was announced by the country’s Minister of Agriculture, Umer Husen, on Tuesday. The seedlings were planted in more than 1000 locations across the country by initiatives, individuals and government officials, the British BBC reported. Ethiopia is convinced that this is a new world record.

With this action the country wants to take action against the deforestation of forests and prevent deserts from spreading. As part of the Ethiopian government’s “Green Legacy Initiative” under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a total of four billion trees are to be planted in the coming weeks.

Source: BBC

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Nigeria outlook

On Monday, the 14th of January, the Nigeria Outlook event is held annually at the offices of Standard Chartered Bank in London. The event will provide an overview of Nigeria’s current macroeconomic position and discuss the political, economic and commercial prospects for the country in the year ahead. The keynote speaker will be Razia Khan, Chief Economist for East Africa and the Middle East at Standard Chartered Bank. Other speakers will be confirmed soon. Invest Africa members can register interest to Philippa Jalland.

Razia Khan – Chief Economist for Africa and the Middle East, Standard Chartered Bank

With over 20 years of experience covering emerging and frontier markets, Razia Khan is a well-known commentator on the region. She has provided regular updates to Central Banks, finance ministries and sovereign wealth funds. She currently serves on the WEF’s Global Future Council on Migration and on the Advisory Board of the Royal African Society. She was named one of the ‘100 Most Influential Africans’ in 2015 by New African Magazine and the ‘100 Africa Economics Leaders’ by Institut Choiseul (2017). Razia holds BSc and MSc (Econ) degrees from the London School of Economics.

Source: Invest Africa

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Africa’s direct investment rebound

The number of foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in Africa increased by 6 % in 2017, despite the continent experiencing sluggish growth, according to a report by EY. The top five FDI destinations – which accounted for over half of total investment – were South Africa, Morocco, Kenya, Nigeria and Ethiopia. The uptick in projects came as economic growth in Africa recovered following the lowest growth in over 20 years in 2016.

Source: African Business, Dec/jan 2ß10

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Africa holds key for 21st century business – new McKinsey book

Africa, the second-largest continent by size, holds the key for business operations in the 21st, and global business leaders who misunderstand the region are in danger of missing out on one of great growth opportunities in the third millennium, a new book by McKinsey & Company says.

The book, released November 20, confirms that Africa is poised for economic acceleration, similar to the Asian boom that produced what became known as the Asian Tigers. However, the authors conclude that while other regions are witnessing incremental growth, “global companies that get in early and join the African champions shaping the right strategies, can sustain double-digit profit growth over the next few decades.”

Authors of “Africa’s Business Revolution: How to Succeed in the World’s Next Big Growth Market,’’ say that the continent is bigger than most people imagine, in terms both of physical size and resource potentials.

“Africa is bigger than you think – it dwarfs China, Europe, the United States and India”, the authors of the book say. They declare that the size of the mismatch between global perception and the continent’s on-the-ground reality provoked them to write the book.

The book was written by two McKinsey and Company executives – Leke and Desvaux, both Senior McKinsey Partners and Chironga, an executive at Nedbank, one of South Africa’s largest banking group.

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