Tag Archives: investments

Harnessing Africa’s Potential: advancing ESG strategies for a sustainable future

The opportunities for building a sustainable future for Africa are at least as great as the challenges, writes Christian Toben, Head of Financial Institutions for Emerging Markets at Commerzbank. Here, he discusses some of the positive initiatives that are helping to drive forward the continent’s ESG agenda and the crucial role of financial institutions in supporting Africa’s potential to step onto the global stage as a green energy hub.

Africa: Resilience in the private equity market

By Angela Simpson and Lydia Shadrach-Razzino, Partners and Co-heads of the Corporate/M&A Practice, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg Private markets in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have seen a continuous rise in activity since the COVID 19 pandemic. The latest AVCA Private Capital Activity Report 2022 revealed that USD 7.6 billion of private capital was invested in 2022, resulting in a […]

Arbitration as a Key Tool for Businesses in the MENA Region

By Samaa A. Haridi,  Vice President (Egypt and USA) of the ICC International Court of Arbitration and a Partner at law firm King & Spalding. International arbitration has become a key tool for conducting business in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, especially now that an increasing number of MENA businesses cross regional and […]

Grow with Intention: How to Make The Best Investments for Your Business

Every business needs to grow. It does not, however, need to consistently achieve extreme profit margins and beat the previous quarter’s results repeatedly. So long as your business is profitable, then you’re doing wonderfully. However, this does not mean you can keep things the same for years to come. Markets change, new tools arise, and […]

South African assets may be cheap, but that’s not a good enough reason not to invest offshore

By Mart Marie de Jongh, Certified Financial Planner at GraySwan  and Gregoire Theron, Chief Investment Officer  The investment world’s fixation on global inflation and whether we are approaching the peak and heading towards a recession, has many investors sitting on cash, waiting for signals of a better market. Despite this, investing in South Africa presents […]

The Global Startup Awards Africa is now open for applications for the 2022/23 season

By the end of 2022, world leaders will be halfway towards the 2030 deadline of achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of ending poverty, fighting inequality, and stopping climate change. However, seven years on and countries across the globe are on track to accomplish almost none of them[i]. This is no different in Africa […]

Flourish Ventures launches Madica, an Africa-focused pre-seed investment platform

The new investment program is targeting up to 30 underrepresented entrepreneurs across Africa who are working in underserved sectors and geographies. The goal of the program is to provide them with the resources and support they need to grow their businesses and impact their communities. Flourish Ventures, a global venture capital firm investing in mission-driven […]

One-third of businesses plan to deploy Wi-Fi 7 by 2024, according to an industry report

WBA cross-industry survey reveals Wi-Fi 7 is top global priority to supercharge Wi-Fi capabilities and drive new IIoT use cases  Wi-Fi 7 is emerging as one of the most important areas of investment in new connectivity technologies. That is one key finding from the latest cross-industry survey of service providers, technology vendors and enterprises by […]

Breaking the boys’ club: If investing in women yields good returns, then why are we still fighting for their inclusion?

The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs According to research by Statistics South Africa, nearly half (47%) of South African women are unemployedi. This comes as would-be female employees have a tougher time finding work than men, thanks to the inequalities they face, including unequal pay and fewer leadership positions among others, while at the same […]

The first NFT exhibition of African art in France will take place in October 2022

Neuvième Toit, a collective of French-speaking artists, and AKAA, a contemporary art fair in Paris dedicated to the artistic scenes of Africa and its diasporas, will exhibit for the first time in France works of African art in “NFT” (non-fungible token) format. Presentation 9TH NFT PROJECT – AKAA OCT22 en-US This project is part of […]

Why SMME shaming leads to an investment mismatch

Recent articles on fund-raising activities in Africa paint the picture that capital is abundant and readily available. The first seven weeks of this year have seen continued high investment levels, with start-ups raising over $1 billion through 130 deals. This creates incredible optimism for many, signalling a new investment era for businesses across the African continent. […]

6 Easy Ways to Grow Your Money in 2022

Growing your money is an achievement, and many people dream of becoming wealthy. However, the meaning of wealth depends on experience and background. To some people, it means never having to worry about expenditures. For others, it is working extra hours, and others define it as financial liberty. Regardless of your definition of wealth, the […]

3 trends set to dominate African mobile apps in 2022

In 2021, the mobile industry in sub-saharan Africa continued to show incredible resilience against the impacts of Covid-19 and experienced high growth. Digital solutions have provided instrumental support for communities and businesses, boosting their transition into adopting a mobile-first approach to tackle most of the daily challenges across the continent, with fintech applications dominating this […]

Are Brick Houses a Good Investment in South Africa?

Clay bricks are created using the same formula that has been used to build many famous structures. They are a long-lasting, visually beautiful construction material that works effectively over time.  The final combination of raw materials provides clay brick its particular features, such as sturdiness, resilience, dimensional stability, and durability, as well as fire and […]

Ventures Platform Secures First Close of US$40mn Pan-African Fund

Ventures Platform, the early-stage “discovery” venture capital fund championing the next generation of African entrepreneurs, has announced the first close of its new US$40m Pan-African, early-stage fund to invest in market-creating innovations. With this close led by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), the new fund features participation from existing investors and some new leading […]

A Just Transition to Climate Resilience Could Transform Kenya into a Green Powerhouse

The Continent Is Highly Vulnerable to Climate Change, However, and Needs Significant Global Investment to Adapt to Higher Temperatures, Build Low-Carbon Economies, and Create Local Green Employment African countries face major climate-related challenges, but at the same time they have the opportunity to achieve sustainable low-carbon economies, according to a new report by Boston Consulting […]

DrugStoc Secures $4.4M in Series A Funding to Expand Access to Quality Pharmaceuticals in Africa

Healthtech startup, DrugStoc has raised USD 4.4 million in Series A funding to expand access to quality medicines while providing sustainable supply chain financing for healthcare providers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The funding round is led by Africa HealthCare Master Fund (AAIC), and other investors include Chicago-based venture firm Vested World and the German Development Bank […]

Lesotho Business Forum at Expo 2020 Dubai Wrapped Up Successfully

The Lesotho Business Forum, themed “Lesotho Rising to Prosperity”, addressed major topics influencing business and investment opportunities within the country, and brought together stakeholders to discuss policies and ideas, in order to bring in FDI towards Lesotho. Dubai (03/11/21) – The Lesotho Business Forum was held on the 28th of October 2021 at the Business […]

SA’s Social Entrepreneurs Need Support to Succeed

South Africa’s 141,500 social entrepreneurs are both solving the country’s most pressing problems and contributing to the economy in the process, with the creation of nearly 600,000 jobs and an estimated 76,000 more by 2030[i]. Sadly, however, approximately 70% say they struggle to raise funding due to a lack of networks[ii] and40% don’t even know […]

2021 sees surge in fundraising by African infrastructure funds with $2.14bn USD targeted

Africa-focussed infra investment funds have set a record fundraising target in 2021 Majority of deals by infra funds are of ‘green’ assets, as climate rises up the agenda for asset managers Dry powder and assets under management by infra funds at an all-time high, signalling investment boom to come Africa-focussed infrastructure investment funds have set […]