Africa
South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and Morocco Hold Over 50 Percent of Africa’s Private Wealth
According to a report by Henley & Partners in partnership with New World Wealth, private wealth in Africa amounts to USD 2.4 trillion, with five cities accounting for over 50 percent of the continent’s wealth. These cities include Johannesburg, Cairo, Cape Town, Lagos, and Nairobi, accounting for 56 percent of the continent’s high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs). The report states that there are currently 138,000 HNWIs in Africa with investable wealth of USD 1 million or more, 328 centi-millionaires worth USD 100 million or more, and 23 US-dollar billionaires. South Africa is home to at least twice as many HNWIs as any other African country, accounting for 30% of the continent’s centi-millionaires. Egypt, on the other hand, accounts for the most billionaires. Dominic Volek, Group Head of Private Clients at Henley & Partners, believes that more African countries will begin to attract HNWIs by providing residence and citizenship through investment opportunities that have the potential to transform their economies.
Source: Business Insider
Africa
Africa needs USD 700 Billion of Finance for Green Energy and Metals
According to Standard Bank Group, Africa will need more than USD 700 billion in finance over the next decade to develop renewable power and mines to extract the metals required for the green energy transition. The continent’s financial institutions will not be able to provide even half of that, and most of the money will need to come from investors from elsewhere, Kenny Fihla, CEO of Standard Bank’s corporate and investment banking unit, said. “Many of the minerals required to build solar panels, lithium batteries, and wind turbines, among others, are found in sub-Saharan Africa,” Fihla said. “Our team has also quantified the amount of investment required in that space as in the order of hundreds of billions of dollars.” African governments are under pressure to extend power supply to the 600 million people – about half of the continent’s population – who currently lack electricity access. At the same time, copper and cobalt deposits in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia, lithium reserves in Zimbabwe and platinum and manganese seams in South Africa are seen as key to providing the materials needed for everything from solar panels to electric vehicle batteries.
Source: Engineering News
Africa
Africa’s Vast Potential Lures U.S. Investors in Search of Returns, Impact
Africa, for years, has struggled to attract the notice of – and money from – American pension funds. But in the past two years, U.S. pension fund trustees and other billion-dollar asset owners appear more open to investing in some of Africa’s 50-plus countries, particularly in infrastructure. Institutional investors are encouraged by a U.S. government-led geopolitical charm offensive in Africa. They are wagering on higher-risk returns amid inflation, Fed rate hikes and uneven portfolio performance at home. And pension funds may one day view Africa as a potential ESG or DEI investment destination, especially those with social impact as a portfolio goal, investors and consultants said. In the past few years, the City of Hartford Pension Commission, the City of Philadelphia’s Board of Pensions and Retirement and the Public School Teachers’ Pension & Retirement Fund of Chicago have invested USD 5 million, USD 50 million and USD 10 million, respectively, into a USD 900 million vehicle called African Development Partners III.
Source: Pensions & Investments
Democratic Republic of the Congo / Uganda
DRC in Discussions with Uganda Over Use of Crude Pipeline
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is discussing with neighbouring Uganda for possible use of the East African country’s planned crude oil pipeline to export petroleum, DRC’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons (MoH) said. Uganda is developing the USD 3.5 billion 1,445 km East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), starting from the oil fields in its Albertine rift basin on its western border with DRC to Tanzania’s Indian Ocean seaport of Tanga. The pipeline is for transporting Uganda’s crude to international markets when the country starts production in 2025. The DRC’s MoH recently said in a Twitter statement that its Minister, Didier Budimbu, met Uganda’s Energy Minister, Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, with discussions involving access to the pipeline. “Uganda acknowledged the crucial requirement of [the] DRC to access [EACOP] for the transport of crude oil to be produced from the oil exploration blocks located in the Albertine Graben in the [DRC],” the statement read. The DRC and Uganda share the oil-rich basin of Albertine Graben.
Source: Reuters
Ethiopia
Ethiopia Surpasses Uganda, Tanzania for Kenya Investments Abroad
Ethiopia has toppled Tanzania and Uganda as the leading destination of Kenya’s investment abroad, buoyed by the expansion of local firms in the giant neighbouring market. Direct investment abroad- referred to as outward direct investment – is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise resident in another economy. As well as the equity that gives rise to control or influence, direct investment also includes investment associated with that relationship, including investment in indirectly influenced or controlled enterprises, investment in fellow enterprises, debt (except selected debt), and reverse investment. The newly released Economic Survey 2023 shows that although Tanzania was the leading destination for Kenya’s investment abroad at the start of 2015, the table has since tilted in favour of Addis Ababa.
Source: Nation Africa
Kenya/ Tanzania
Value of Kenya Exports to Tanzania Tops EAC Growth
Kenya’s total exports to Tanzania posted the biggest growth among all East Africa Community (EAC) destinations in terms of absolute value last year, underlining the gains of a reset in the relations between the two countries. Data by the newly released Economic Survey 2023 shows that Kenya exported goods worth TZS 1.14 trillion (approx. USD 483 million) to Tanzania last year compared to TZS 911 billion (approx. 386 million) in 2021 – a TZS 236 billion (USD 100 million) jump which was the highest among all other EAC destinations. “Exports to Tanzania grew by 25.9 percent to TZS 1.14 trillion (approx. USD 483 million) in 2022 due to increased exports of iron and non-alloy steel,” the survey said. The performance of Kenya-Tanzania trade comes in the wake of improved relations between the pair after years of tiffs that, at one point, resulted in retaliatory measures such as trade bans. Kenya mainly imports cereals, wood, and edible vegetables from Tanzania, and it exports pharmaceutical products, plastics, iron, and steel to the neighbouring State.
Source: The Citizen
Nigeria
Diaspora Nigerians Remitted USD 168 Billion in Eight Years – World Bank Report
According to World Bank reports collated by our correspondents, the Nigerian Diaspora community has remitted USD 168.33 billion to the country in the past eight years. This is as foreign investments inflow into the country fluctuated in the period under review and caused a scarcity of foreign currency which has since led to the free fall of the naira. According to data from the World Bank and Budget Office of the Federation, Nigeria’s Diaspora remittances have played a key role in assuaging the impact of foreign exchange scarcity and keeping the country’s forex reserve afloat. In 2022, the World Bank stated that remittances flow to sub-Saharan Africa grew by 5.2 percent to USD 53 billion, with Nigeria getting the largest share. The data from the global bank revealed that between 2015 and 2022, a total of USD 168.33 billion was sent home by Nigerians in the Diaspora. A breakdown of the figures showed that in 2015, the Diaspora remittance was USD 21.2 billion; it fell to USD 19.7 billion in 2016; and increased to USD 22 billion in 2017.
Source: The Punch Nigeria
Tanzania
Tanzania Plans Largest Bridge in Africa to Boost Trade
Tanzania plans to construct the first bridge in Africa, spanning 50 kilometres, connecting the mainland to the Zanzibar Islands to facilitate the movement of people and commerce. Geofrey Kasekenya, the deputy minister of Works and Transport, said as much in Parliament recently. He also mentioned that the negotiations started on 11 March 2023 and are already far along. According to Kasekenya, the prospective investors of M/S China Overseas Engineering Group Company (COVEC), who have expressed interest in helping to build the bridge, met both sides. He noted that the idea for building the bridge will involve a partnership with the business sector and that both sides in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar are still working on the meeting’s outcome. He was responding to a query from Mwantum Dau Haji (CCM Special Seats), who wanted to know when the bridge’s construction would begin. The concept for the bridge initially surfaced in 2020 when Tanzanians living abroad proposed building a sea bridge to connect Unguja Island and Dar es Salaam.
Source: Business Insider
Reports
AVCA | Venture Capital in Africa Report 2022
2022 remained a record-breaking year for venture capital in Africa by deal volume, maintaining a three-year accelerated growth curve in capital deployment for the asset class. While capital invested in African startups faltered slightly, the total amount raised remained relatively stable in 2022 and maintained the record set in 2021. With the inclusion of venture debt, venture inflows to Africa last year stood at USD 6.5 billion, raised across 853 deals.
Unlike the 32 percent tailspin in global venture capital, the 1 percent contraction in the value drawn by Africa’s venture ecosystem in 2022 is evidence of the fortitude of the industry, the commitment of investors active on the continent, and the unique resilience of African businesses that don’t require capital rich environments to succeed.
Click here to download and read the full report.
Henley & Partners | Africa Wealth Report 2023
The Africa Wealth Report, published annually by Henley & Partners, provides a comprehensive review of private wealth in Africa, including high-net-worth-individual, luxury, and wealth management trends, as well as expert insights on investing in Africa, the investment migration sector, and economic mobility on the continent.
The report also reveals that the growth in high-net-worth individuals on the continent expects to be 42 percent over the next ten years. The 2023 edition reveals that the ‘Big 5’ wealth markets in Africa – South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and Morocco – together account for 56 percent of Africa’s high-net-worth individuals and over 90 percent of the continent’s billionaires. However, their continued dominance is far from assured, and they could soon be challenged by Mauritius and Rwanda, which are fast gaining ground. Namibia’s new residence by investment offers positions it as a future potential rival.
Click here to download and read the full report.
World Bank | Africa’s Pulse, April 2023: Leveraging Resource Wealth During the Low Carbon Transition
Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa slowed to 3.6 percent in 2022, from 4.1 percent in 2021 but may be bottoming out. Weak investment growth and macroeconomic instability are weighing on economic activity. Inflation remains persistently high and above target despite early and sizable interest rate increases.
Amid unfavourable global financial conditions and high levels of debt, African policymakers must bank on their domestic policy space to restore macroeconomic stability, deepen structural reforms to foster inclusive growth and implement policies that harness the region’s resource wealth during the low carbon transmission. This natural wealth holds significant untapped economic potential to address fiscal challenges and drive economic transformation. The low carbon transition is irreversible and will be intensive in the minerals required for the clean energy transition, many of which are abundant across Africa.
Click here to download and read the full report.
U.S Chamber of Commerce | Africa’s Business Revolution: A Visual Exploration
Global business interest in Africa has blossomed and for good reason. U.S Chamber of Commerce explores how Africa represents one of the century’s greatest growth opportunities – and how businesses can get involved.
Advance with Africa, the U.S. Chamber’s nationwide roadshow, is demystifying Africa’s commercial profile, increasing U.S. exports and investment, showcasing tools supporting new market entrants, and unlocking business opportunities in the United States and Africa. All businesses, big and small, are included in its mission – not just those that trade on Wall Street, but also those that line the American and African Main Streets. Africa’s potential for growth and development is immense, and businesses worldwide are taking notice.
