Africa Digest : Trends and issues in business Vol. 18

• Main Author: Burger, Johan
• Other Authors: Nanyang Business School
• Format: Newsletter
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Business; Business::General; Africa; business trends
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/143135
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The Africa Digest is a fortnightly e-newsletter scanning the key trends in the macro-environment and industry to promote knowledge and raise understanding of business in Africa. This issue explores: 1. Developments in Aquaculture - Food security is a major issue in Africa. The continent imports food valued between US$35 billion and US$41 billion annually. However, African governments severely neglect its oceans, just as they do land-based aquaculture opportunities. 2. Developments in Fintech and Mobile Money - In Africa, fintech and mobile money are trending as increasingly popular technology-based services. While its original origin was in Kenya with the launch of M-Pesa by Safaricom, the trend has since expanded into a number of other African countries all around the continent. Sector players are developing new products. However, fintechs are also experiencing challenges from regulators and competitors. 3. Trends in Investments and Economics - Various countries in Africa figured prominently on the Top 20 list of rapidly growing economies. These included Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania, amongst others. Unfortunately, the continent’s two largest economies —Nigeria and South Africa— lag behind. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, the continent’s near-term economic growth prospects appear increasingly dim. This report addresses some events prior to the pandemic. 4. The Middle East in Africa - Countries from the Middle East have been involved in Africa for many years. Their involvement ranged from using Africa as a base for attacks on rebels in Yemen to infrastructure development (ports and airports) and investment in food and IT projects. This report addresses developments on the involvement of countries from the Middle East in Africa. 5. Developments for MTN, Africa’s largest telecoms company - MTN Group is Africa’s largest telecoms company. Facing a mixed bag of experiences during the past few years, the company frequently reached the news for all the wrong reasons. This report addresses some of its experiences during the recent past.