PRESS

Opinion: How to close Africa's jobs gap

06 NOVEMBER 2017

Africa is creating new jobs, but it’s simply not enough. Accelerating job creation in African countries requires: implementing a modern industrial strategy; investing in “islands of effectiveness” within the public sector; and diversified partner pools.

Historic free trade agreement will be a boon to African growth

22 MARCH 2018

African countries launched a historic free trade agreement at the African Union Summit in Rwanda on Wednesday, establishing the largest free trade market since the formation of the World Trade Organization.

Tap creative industries to boost Africa's economic growth

22 MARCH 2018

To maintain stability and advance prosperity, African governments face the tremendously daunting challenge of tackling unemployment and creating millions of new jobs for a booming working age population. The creative and cultural industries are an increasingly important piece of the puzzle.

Making Africa great again

08 FEBRUARY 2018

It was only a few years ago when an infectious wave of optimism poured over African shores. However, the last two years have seen a marked slowdown in LP commitments to the continent; existing GPs have had difficulty attracting support for follow-on fund offerings and new managers have struggled to get off the ground.

African PE must rise to job creation challenge

15 JUNE 2017

Mass job creation is the central economic development challenge in Africa. Given the demographic trajectory of most
African countries, the need to generate employment for growing numbers of young people is unprecedented in human
history.

Africa: Keeping the lights on Power Africa

20 MARCH 2017

While the future policy remains undecided, the opportunities in the power sector across Africa are obvious. In Nigeria, west Africa's economic engine with one of Africa's fastest growing populations, only 25 percent of some 180 million people have access to regular electricity.

Private Equity in Africa can drive gender equity

07 MARCH 2017

Across the world, it seems, women are good for business. From North America to Southeast Asia, companies perform better when women are in leadership roles. Yet they remain under-represented. One area in which women can make a catalytic impact is the private equity ecosystem.

The developmental difference of African private equity

25 JANUARY 2017

Economic development efforts in Africa have traditionally been the purview of foreign aid agencies, NGOs, multilateral finance institutions, and African governmental spending. That is poised for change as African private equity is maturing as an industry.

When you have to call the president to solve a business problem

12 DECEMBER 2016

Understanding the level of government at which a decision has to be made in order to solve a problem can be critical to doing business in some African markets.

The missing middle in African private equity

24 OCTOBER 2016

Given the dire need to create jobs for millions of young people and the positive outlook for small and medium size companies, the middle-market Africa PE space should be of greater focus for institutional investors and their gatekeepers.