Invest Africa Insights

Africa’s industrial growth story is accelerating — but water may be its most overlooked constraint. From mining and manufacturing to agro-processing and urban expansion, water availability, reliability, and governance increasingly determine which projects scale and which stall. Yet water is still too often treated as a utility issue rather than core economic infrastructure. Hosted in partnership w...

Southern Africa has a significant clean energy opportunity, underpinned by world-class renewable resources and growing demand from energy-intensive sectors such as mining and minerals processing. Renewable energy is now essential to unlocking critical minerals; however, many projects continue to stall due to coordination challenges between mining and power developments, infrastructure constraints,...

In 2025, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) moved firmly into the global spotlight — both for its central role in supplying critical minerals essential to the global energy transition and for renewed geopolitical engagement, including U.S.-backed efforts to address longstanding conflict in the country’s east. These dynamics have driven increased international attention across mining, energy, i...

Central Africa enters 2026 with cautious optimism. During this webinar, speakers reflected on an uneven but improving growth outlook, with aggregate GDP expected to rise from around 3.2% in 2025 to approximately 3.4% in 2026, supported by stabilising oil prices, renewed infrastructure investment and gradual diversification beyond extractive sectors. The Central Africa Regional Outlook 2026 Webinar...

West Africa is at a strategic inflection point as the region transitions from commodity-led growth toward more diversified investment models. With GDP growth of 4.5% forecast for 2025, the discussion examined how this momentum can be carried into 2026 and beyond. The 2026 West Africa Regional Outlook Webinar explored how value creation can be scaled across key sectors including agriculture, manufa...

East Africa continues to lead Africa’s growth story. In this webinar, panellists discussed how GDP growth across the region rose from around 4.4% in 2024 to approximately 5.3% in 2025, with projections pointing toward further acceleration to around 6.1% in 2026. The session brought together regional and global perspectives to examine the key structural drivers and risks shaping East Africa’s high-...

North Africa remains a critical economic gateway between Europe, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, with the region’s growth projected to reach 3.9% in 2026, up from 3.6% in 2025.The North Africa Regional Outlook 2026 will convened experts to examine how the region can serve as both an investment frontier and a manufacturing-export hub. Key focus areas:Diversification beyond hydrocarbons: Wit...

Amid intensifying global geopolitical competition and economic realignment, US - Africa relations, and the continent’s importance to Washington’s foreign policy and American investment is becoming a key focus. This is underlined by the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS), which calls for a “transition from an aid-focused relationship with Africa to a trade- and investment-focused relationship”,...

Southern Africa entered 2026 in a complex terrain: while growth remained modest, regional GDP was projected to rise from 3.0% in 2025 to approximately 3.1% by 2026.The 2026 Southern Africa Regional Outlook Webinar brought together Lydia Shadrach-Razzino, Partner & Head of Corporate M&A Practice at Baker McKenzie, Rufaro Mapanda, Head of Equity Trading at Absa, and Mulenga Mutati, CEO &...

Africa Face to Face brings together Sanjeev Gupta, Invest Africa Advisory Board Member, and Lanre Akinola, Programme & Content Lead Consultant at Invest Africa, for candid conversations with the leaders shaping Africa’s investment and policy landscape. Produced by our media partner, CNBC Africa, the series explores the continent’s most pressing opportunities and challenges, offering clear, inf...

One hundred days into Donald Trump’s second term, U.S.-Africa relations stand at a critical juncture. Early signals point to a blend of unpredictability, transactional diplomacy, and shifting strategic priorities—raising pressing questions about the future of trade and investment between the two regions. While the administration has yet to articulate a coherent Africa strategy, several key develop...

As part of The Payments Exchange series in collaboration with Crown Agents Bank, this episode brings you a critical discussion adapted from a recent webinar. On July 29, 2024, the Ethiopian Central Bank made a historic decision to float the Birr. This episode explores the potential impacts on Ethiopia’s trade and investment landscape, foreign exchange dynamics, and how businesses and international...

At the end of May, South Africans went to the polls for national and provincial elections that marked a significant shift in the country's political landscape. After more than two decades of waning voter support, the African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority in the National Assembly. This historic change for a party that has held unitary control over the executive branch since the firs...

Welcome to the first episode of The Payments Exchange mini-series. Over the course of four episodes, we will explore the payments ecosystem across the African continent with Crown Agents Bank and a guest expert. In this episode, Chris Partridge, VP & Head of Bank and Non-Bank Financial institutions at Crown Agents Bank, and Mark O'Sullivan, CEO of IPT Africa dive into the dynamic landscape...

In this podcast, we explore the evolving risk landscape in Africa and its impact on trade, investment, and gender. Genevieve Ahinful, Head of Political Risk and Trade Credit at Africa Specialty Risks, and Tokunboh Ishmael, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Alitheia Capital, discuss changing perceptions, offering insights into the opportunities and challenges for investors, and the need for compa...

In 2024, Africa grapples with a complex landscape, encompassing supply chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the persistent impact of COVID-19, rising inflation, and conflicts in the Middle East. Amidst these challenges, African nations are urged to leverage industrialisation opportunities, potentially catapulting the continent's GDP by 20%. Anticipati...

In 2024, Africa is set to be the second-fastest growing major region, with most countries experiencing accelerated economic growth compared to 2023. East Africa, led by Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda, is poised to be at the forefront, contributing to Africa's real GDP increase from 2.6% in 2023 to 3.2%. However, political risks may rise due to elections in some major African eco...

The economic dynamics and political landscape within the framework of Africa’s North markets for the 2024 fiscal year present a nuanced scenario.  The growth in North Africa is estimated to have decreased by 1.3 percentage points to 4.1 percent in 2022. This decline was attributed to the sharp contraction in Libya, accounting for 6 percent of the region’s GDP, and the impact of drought in Morocco,...

Southern Africa’s regional economic performance in 2023 compares unfavourably to that of other sub-regions, with growth slowing to 3.3% from 4% in 2022. The outlook for 2024 is uncertain due to the Southern Africa region remaining subject to significant downside risks. Over the 2023-2024 period, six Southern African countries (Botswana, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe) w...

The economic dynamics and political landscape in the context of Africa’s Francophone markets for the 2024 fiscal year paint a complex picture. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains the largest intra-African trading nation; its share of total African trade increased by 35.7% from $12.19 bn in 2021 to $16.53 bn in 2022. This is largely a result of government commitments to regional integrat...

From supply chain disruptions stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the lingering effects of COVID-19 to increased inflation and interest rates, and recent conflicts in the Middle East,  2024 is sure to bring a multitude of challenges and opportunities to Africa. However, against this backdrop of polycrisis, African countries have been urged to seize the opportunity presented with industri...

To celebrate International Women’s Day throughout the month of March, Invest Africa has been hosting a podcast series #WinningWomenInAfrica to promote inspirational African female industry leaders. #WinningWomeninAfrica will feature a weekly podcast, where our selected female industry leaders will reveal their path to establishing success, the challenges they encountered, and how women’s empowerme...

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Invest Africa hosts a podcast series throughout March #WinningWomeninAfrica to recognise inspirational African females. #WinningWomeninAfrica will feature a weekly podcast, where our selected female industry leaders will reveal their path to establishing success, the challenges they encountered, and how women’s empowerment in Africa can be enhanced. Africa a...

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Invest Africa is hosting a podcast series throughout March #WinningWomeninAfrica to recognise inspirational African females. #WinningWomeninAfrica will feature a weekly podcast, where our selected female industry leaders will reveal their path to establishing success, the challenges they encountered, and how women’s empowerment in Africa can be enhanced. Afr...

Spearheaded by the increased strength of Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda’s national economies, East Africa has become the fastest growing region of the continent in recent years. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with the Russian invasion of Ukraine has derailed the region’s growth trajectory. Rising food prices have become a key area of concern regarding food security, especially a...