Security and Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa
Africa has long been seen as the final frontier of emerging markets—a continent desperately in need of large-scale infrastructure investments with a young, expanding population. Yet growth across sub-Saharan Africa has been below expectations in recent years, and countries from Nigeria to Angola continue to succumb too easily to boom-and-bust commodity cycles. Although investors present in Africa have a far more positive outlook on the region’s prospects than those who have never done business there, Africa continues to suffer from the perception that conflict and war are endemic, and that the risks to doing business outweigh the returns. How can the private sector manage the nuances of African markets? To what extent can security risks be managed and when do they become insurmountable? Which industries and sectors hold the most promise for international investors in the years to come?
