Foreign direct investment in Africa at all time high
Although foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 8.4% in 2014, capital investment into Africa surged to US$128b, a year-on-year increase of 136%, according to the recently released EY 2015 Africa Attractiveness Survey and the average investment increased to US$174.5m per project, up from US$67.8m in 2013.
Charles Brewer, Managing Director of DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), says that this is positive for the continent’s outlook, highlighting that FDI in the region is being stimulated by a number of megadeals, instead of numerous smaller deals.
“The perception of investing in Africa has traditionally been rather negative, coupled with the fear of the unknown. However, in 2014, traditional investors refocused their attention on the continent, attracted by its strong macroeconomic growth and outlook, improving business environment, a rising consumer class, abundant natural resources and infrastructure development. These factors have resulted in global capital investment and job creation hitting an all-time high during 2014 on the continent.
Brewer says that efficient infrastructure is critical for ensuring the effective functioning of the continent. As it stands, underdeveloped infrastructure drives up logistics costs, and it is estimated that supply chain costs are up to nine times more expensive in Africa in comparison to other regions in the world.”
“With increased FDI and continued macro-economic growth, I believe that Africa will be an economic powerhouse in the future. The region is abound with untapped opportunities and has much scope for growth.”
Brewer says that it is for this reason that DHL Express continues to see SSA as one of the most prominent areas of growth for the business globally, and therefore continue to invest significantly in the region.
“DHL Express continues to invest significantly in SSA in order to ‘Lift The Platform’, to expand our capabilities and cater for continued growth across all markets, with planned investment of millions of Euros across SSA in 2015. Major projects underway include upgrades to facilities and shipment handling systems in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, DRC, Rwanda, Angola, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Later this year, we will begin planned upgrades in Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Benin, Cameroon, Guinea Republic, Gabon, Tanzania, Mauritius and Cote D’Ivoire.”
“In addition to facility upgrades, we have a number of vehicle and technology upgrades taking place this year, along with ongoing employee and SME development programs.”
“Continued focus and investment in market-leading infrastructure will better connect Africa to the rest of the world, and create more opportunities for African businesses, allowing them to trade across borders and with new target markets. DHL Express is committed to not only connecting others to Africa, one of the world’s largest frontiers for growth, but to making the rest of the world the next frontier for Africa,” concludes Brewer.
- January 2024 (238)
- February 2024 (227)
- March 2024 (190)
- April 2024 (133)
- May 2024 (157)
- June 2024 (145)
- July 2024 (136)
- August 2024 (154)
- September 2024 (212)
- October 2024 (255)
- November 2024 (43)
- January 2023 (182)
- February 2023 (203)
- March 2023 (322)
- April 2023 (298)
- May 2023 (268)
- June 2023 (214)
- July 2023 (212)
- August 2023 (257)
- September 2023 (237)
- October 2023 (264)
- November 2023 (286)
- December 2023 (177)
- January 2022 (293)
- February 2022 (329)
- March 2022 (358)
- April 2022 (292)
- May 2022 (271)
- June 2022 (232)
- July 2022 (278)
- August 2022 (253)
- September 2022 (246)
- October 2022 (196)
- November 2022 (232)
- December 2022 (167)
- January 2021 (182)
- February 2021 (227)
- March 2021 (325)
- April 2021 (259)
- May 2021 (285)
- June 2021 (272)
- July 2021 (277)
- August 2021 (232)
- September 2021 (271)
- October 2021 (305)
- November 2021 (364)
- December 2021 (249)
- January 2020 (272)
- February 2020 (310)
- March 2020 (390)
- April 2020 (321)
- May 2020 (335)
- June 2020 (327)
- July 2020 (333)
- August 2020 (276)
- September 2020 (214)
- October 2020 (233)
- November 2020 (242)
- December 2020 (187)
- January 2019 (251)
- February 2019 (215)
- March 2019 (283)
- April 2019 (254)
- May 2019 (269)
- June 2019 (249)
- July 2019 (335)
- August 2019 (293)
- September 2019 (306)
- October 2019 (313)
- November 2019 (362)
- December 2019 (318)
- January 2018 (291)
- February 2018 (213)
- March 2018 (275)
- April 2018 (223)
- May 2018 (235)
- June 2018 (176)
- July 2018 (256)
- August 2018 (247)
- September 2018 (255)
- October 2018 (282)
- November 2018 (282)
- December 2018 (184)
- January 2017 (183)
- February 2017 (194)
- March 2017 (207)
- April 2017 (104)
- May 2017 (169)
- June 2017 (205)
- July 2017 (189)
- August 2017 (195)
- September 2017 (186)
- October 2017 (235)
- November 2017 (253)
- December 2017 (266)
- January 2016 (164)
- February 2016 (165)
- March 2016 (189)
- April 2016 (143)
- May 2016 (245)
- June 2016 (182)
- July 2016 (271)
- August 2016 (247)
- September 2016 (233)
- October 2016 (191)
- November 2016 (243)
- December 2016 (153)
- January 2015 (1)
- February 2015 (4)
- March 2015 (164)
- April 2015 (107)
- May 2015 (116)
- June 2015 (119)
- July 2015 (145)
- August 2015 (157)
- September 2015 (186)
- October 2015 (169)
- November 2015 (173)
- December 2015 (205)
- March 2014 (2)
- March 2013 (10)
- June 2013 (1)
- March 2012 (7)
- April 2012 (15)
- May 2012 (1)
- July 2012 (1)
- August 2012 (4)
- October 2012 (2)
- November 2012 (2)
- December 2012 (1)