African investments
June 1, 2006 3:37 PM Subscribe
What is a good source of investment information on sub-saharan Africa, preferably emphasizing investments outside of South Africa?
I recently read that there has been a good deal of "low-key" infrastructure development in southern Africa, and I am interested in finding a good source of information about investment opportunities there. It makes sense that the area have potential, given the resource richness, low cost labour, etc. available there. As near as I can tell, it's been local corruption and outside corrupting influences that have held the region back economically.
I recently read that there has been a good deal of "low-key" infrastructure development in southern Africa, and I am interested in finding a good source of information about investment opportunities there. It makes sense that the area have potential, given the resource richness, low cost labour, etc. available there. As near as I can tell, it's been local corruption and outside corrupting influences that have held the region back economically.
What with AIDs, all of these countries are going to see a 20~50% decline in the availability of able bodied workers. This will cause strong social and political instability (reference Europe & The Black Death) Less complicated things like hunting, farming, and village life will weather this OK.
More complicated things like national scale law, economy, industry, infrastructure and government should do worse. Also, the local "corruption" as we call it isn't going anywhere. It's a normal part of the culture.
The presence of natural resources doesn't guarantee anything for the countries as a whole. Normally a tiny handfull of locals and foreign companies get all the wealth. Locals just get get hired to run machines and staff the whorehouses 'till the ores (or whatever) run out, then they go right back to life as usual.
After the foreigners leave the new roads and infrastructure will fall apart (reference Haiti) and the locals will relax back into the 17th. century (or whichever century they're most comfortable with there) An outsider might think this odd, but it is after all their country, and so long as they don't annoy any 1st. world countries they can do what they want with it.
There are of course dozens, probably hundreds of things that could be done to generate wealth there. Question is, how can any foreigner tell the ones that might work from the ones that have a zero possibility of success? Unless you have some kind of solid local contacts in a given country, I think you should gamble H^H^H^H^H^ invest no more there than you can comfortably lose.
posted by Ken McE at 7:10 PM on June 1, 2006
More complicated things like national scale law, economy, industry, infrastructure and government should do worse. Also, the local "corruption" as we call it isn't going anywhere. It's a normal part of the culture.
The presence of natural resources doesn't guarantee anything for the countries as a whole. Normally a tiny handfull of locals and foreign companies get all the wealth. Locals just get get hired to run machines and staff the whorehouses 'till the ores (or whatever) run out, then they go right back to life as usual.
After the foreigners leave the new roads and infrastructure will fall apart (reference Haiti) and the locals will relax back into the 17th. century (or whichever century they're most comfortable with there) An outsider might think this odd, but it is after all their country, and so long as they don't annoy any 1st. world countries they can do what they want with it.
There are of course dozens, probably hundreds of things that could be done to generate wealth there. Question is, how can any foreigner tell the ones that might work from the ones that have a zero possibility of success? Unless you have some kind of solid local contacts in a given country, I think you should gamble H^H^H^H^H^ invest no more there than you can comfortably lose.
posted by Ken McE at 7:10 PM on June 1, 2006
You might try All Africa to start. It's a compilation of lots of newspapers from Africa. I'm not sure they have investment advice, per se, but it is definitely a good place to keep track of political situations that favour investment, new areas of innovation, etc. You can sort news by country and category. They have an investment category.
I was going to leave it at that, but on preview I have to say that Ken McE has put together the most shockingly dense set of ignorant and incorrect statements I've seen in a long time. Probably not since I had to mark a set of essays on "family" that included topics like "why gays should never be allowed near children" and "the children of divorced parents can never grow into normal adults." Wow.
posted by carmen at 7:23 PM on June 1, 2006
I was going to leave it at that, but on preview I have to say that Ken McE has put together the most shockingly dense set of ignorant and incorrect statements I've seen in a long time. Probably not since I had to mark a set of essays on "family" that included topics like "why gays should never be allowed near children" and "the children of divorced parents can never grow into normal adults." Wow.
posted by carmen at 7:23 PM on June 1, 2006
As a person from sub saharan Africa, i take offence to Ken McE's gross mischaracterizations!
ykayj, it will be rather difficult to find a single source of such information. Sub saharan Africa is not a homogenous unit. It made up of different countries, each with different languages, forms of governments, religions etc etc. What works in Ghana (an English speaking, democratic and politically stable primarily Christian nation) will definitely not work for say Mozambique, Cameroun or Niger.
Email me if you want specific information relating to investments in Ghana.
posted by ramix at 8:51 PM on June 1, 2006
ykayj, it will be rather difficult to find a single source of such information. Sub saharan Africa is not a homogenous unit. It made up of different countries, each with different languages, forms of governments, religions etc etc. What works in Ghana (an English speaking, democratic and politically stable primarily Christian nation) will definitely not work for say Mozambique, Cameroun or Niger.
Email me if you want specific information relating to investments in Ghana.
posted by ramix at 8:51 PM on June 1, 2006
Ken McE, I think you need to come up with some links here. Add it to your previous comment about forced child labour in India being employment and you're not looking too shiny
posted by tellurian at 12:37 AM on June 2, 2006
posted by tellurian at 12:37 AM on June 2, 2006
Related to ramix's point, I know that a lot of Britons have begun investing in Ghana, building homes and re-establishing cultural links in the process. I don't know what kind of effect it's really had on the economy there, but it's certainly building a good foundation for the future in terms of improving Africa's reputation in the mostly-ignorant West.
Botswana, too, has one of the most stable governments in the south of the continent and is pretty much regarded as a success story. But the majority of the population is still quite impoverished, even by South African standards, so there's still a way to go.
And I'm sure I don't have to tell you to give Zimbabwe a miss. Even aside from the unbelievable inflation -- and even if you have a desire to assist those in need of help there -- the Zanu-PF government needs a slap, not a handshake.
posted by macdara at 2:49 AM on June 2, 2006
Botswana, too, has one of the most stable governments in the south of the continent and is pretty much regarded as a success story. But the majority of the population is still quite impoverished, even by South African standards, so there's still a way to go.
And I'm sure I don't have to tell you to give Zimbabwe a miss. Even aside from the unbelievable inflation -- and even if you have a desire to assist those in need of help there -- the Zanu-PF government needs a slap, not a handshake.
posted by macdara at 2:49 AM on June 2, 2006
You may want to do some googling and link-following on microfinancing/microlending in Africa. Not that that's probably what you want to do (or not entirely), but I find that in reading about microfinance projects I end up getting links to really interesting articles on African economics, which may get you closer to what you're looking for.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:49 AM on June 2, 2006
posted by Lyn Never at 6:49 AM on June 2, 2006
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posted by AnnaRat at 7:10 PM on June 1, 2006