How are Africas economies doing?
Currently, they are doing pretty well. Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing its ‘best economic performance in years’, according to Goldman Sachs economists, who reckon ‘gross domestic product growth could average 5% over the next decade, compared to less than 3% over the past 30 years’. They also point to dramatic differences in outlook between countries, with Botswana near the top and Zimbabwe near the bottom. The big growth areas for the continent are infrastructure, agribusiness, vehicles, tourism, finance and natural resources. But is it safe to invest? Investing in Africa is high risk for many reasons, including currency fluctuations, poorly developed markets and political risk. (Although in Transparency International’s most recent survey, Botswana is rated less corrupt than Italy or Greece.) Yes, there are still some poorly run and unstable countries, but the number of African democracies has jumped from just four in 1990 to 17 today. At the same time, many countries have begun lib
