There has been a permanent change in the way that people shop and, in turn, the way that businesses need to operate. In the absence of brick-and-mortar stores being open during the lockdown, as well as a general fear of crowded malls when things were able to re-open, South Africa’s ecommerce sector exploded. According to […]
While South Africa’s economy took a series of blows over the last year, business owners remain confident that things will slowly start to stabilise in 2021. This was reaffirmed with South Africa’s SACCI business confidence index rising to 93.4 in November of 2020 from 92 in October, above pre-pandemic levels. According to Trevor Gosling, Co-founder […]
As America is voting for its next President, all African countries are contemplating their future engagement with either incumbent President Donald Trump or an incoming new President Joseph (Joe) Biden. Indeed, whoever gets in the White House this coming November 4th will re-define America’s relationship with Africa. Contrary to his immediate predecessors, over the last […]
The global restaurant business might lose about $600 billion in consumer spending in 2020, representing a 25%-30% loss of sales compared to 2019, according to figures released by Technomic. While the coronavirus pandemic can be blamed for this to a large extent, there are some things that you need to do to start your road […]
N’Gunu Tiny, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Emerald Group is an expert in Fintech, blockchain and innovative tech. Here’s his take on the impact blockchain could have on the gaming industry in Africa and around the world. The global gaming industry is one of the few that has managed to thrive in 2020. Lockdown […]
South Africa has significantly more financial crime than most other countries. With a rate of 77% compared to a global average of 49%, SA is something of a hotbed for fraud and scams. As consumers and insurance-seekers we need to understand the risks of economic crime and how to avoid becoming a victim, the risks of […]
by Johan Burger 2018 has been an interesting year for Africa, with various events and trends becoming visible. 2016 saw the effects of the slowdown of China’s economic growth due to its rebalancing of its economy and the end of the commodity price super cycle. 2017 brought some relief. In Africa, 2018 demonstrated a number […]
by Johan Burger This paper addresses events and trends in the agriculture sector in Africa for 2018. It is based on the media articles addressed in the Friday@Noon weekly newsletters of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies in Singapore. These are by no means meant to constitute an exhaustive list of developments. General Agriculture in […]
by Johan Burger The NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies publishes a weekly newsletter on issues relevant to Africa. This paper is based on issues addressed in the newsletter. The financial services industry in Africa has seen a lot of development throughout the past few years, as was the case in 2018. Mobile telephony has driven […]
by Johan Burger The NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies publishes a weekly newsletter on issues relevant to Africa. This paper is based on issues addressed in the newsletter. General Africa has vast infrastructure needs. According to the AfDB, Africa’s infrastructure requirements are estimated to be between US$130 billion and US$170 billion, far higher than the […]