Africa's Economic Moment: Why This Time Is Different

By David Mataen

On a number of occasions in the past 50 years, forces for expansion, growth and economic empowerment in the African business environment have seemed to appear, only for the opportunities to fade. This time is different. As David Mataen explains, it is now Africa's moment to take its place as the ultimate source of long-term business and investment opportunities.
Meeting a demand for information on what is happening in the African business landscape and where the most exciting investment opportunities lie, Africa's Economic Moment elucidates Africa's robust investment case in a structured manner. It provides a concise, current analysis of the latest market dynamics; a description of the fundamental framework underpinning the growth of African markets; and the primary investment themes and strategies within seven key consumer sectors for the immediate future and the long term.
This primer on the current state and future trajectory of the African economic situation will leave you more informed about the key themes and most important investment areas in the continent. This is Africa's economic moment - don't miss the opportunity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harriman House
• Release date: May 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9780857193209

David Mataen

During David Mataen's 13 years in financial services spanning commercial banking, stock brokerage, management consultancy and investment banking he has had the singular opportunity of becoming a scholar of African investing. His travels and tours of duty across the continent, though not to each and every corner, have allowed him to put his hand on the pulse and feel the heartbeat of African economies. Being born, bred and educated, and having worked in Africa grants David the luxury of being first witness to the comings and goings in the continent, especially its commerce and economics. In his two and a half years as a contributing columnist to Business Daily, a publication of the Nation Media Group, he wandered far and wide intellectually and picked up invaluable insights, broad perspectives and sound reflexes that have become a foundation for his analysis of business on the continent. Add to this his habits of extensive reading in finance and economics, and intense fascination with systems and their mechanics, which has favoured him the unique privilege of discovering just a little more of Africa's economic soul. David's travels outside of Africa gave him glimpses of a future Africa, when it grows up, and of what it has to do to reach that point. Above all, he is a hopeless romantic about the future and the intuitive signs of the future that appear in the course of ordinary life and business in the present. David is currently the head of Corporate Finance at Faida Investment Bank in Nairobi, Kenya.

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Publishing details

HARRIMAN HOUSE LTD

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Website: www.harriman-house.com

First published in Great Britain in 2013

Copyright © Harriman House Ltd

The right of David Mataen to be identified as the author has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.

ISBN: 9780857193209

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book can be obtained from the British Library.

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No responsibility for loss occasioned to any person or corporate body acting or refraining to act as a result of reading material in this book can be accepted by the Publisher, by the Author, or by the employer of the Author.

About the author

David Mataen is the corporate finance director at Faida Investment Bank in Nairobi, Kenya.

In his 13 years in financial services – spanning commercial banking, stock brokerage, management consultancy and investment banking – he has become a scholar of African investing. His travels and tours of duty across the continent have allowed him to put his hand on the pulse and feel the heartbeat of African economies.

Being born, bred and educated, and having worked in Africa, grants David the luxury of being first witness to the comings and goings in the continent, especially its commerce and economics. In his two and a half years as a contributing columnist to Business Daily, a publication of the Nation Media Group, he wandered far and wide intellectually and picked up invaluable insights, broad perspectives and sound reflexes that have become a foundation for his analysis of business on the continent.

Add to this his habits of extensive reading in finance and economics, and intense fascination with systems and their mechanics, which have favoured him the unique privilege of discovering just a little more of Africa’s economic soul. David’s travels outside of Africa have given him glimpses of a future Africa, when it grows up, and of what it has to do to reach that point. Above all, he is deeply enamoured with the future and the intuitive signs towards its nature that appear in the course of ordinary life and business.

Visit David Mataen’s author pages at:

www.harriman-house.com/authors/profile/davidmataen/17342

intel.harriman-house.com/author/davidmataen

Also by David Mataen

Africa: The ultimate frontier market

www.harriman-house.com/africa

www.amazon.co.uk/Africa-Ultimate-Frontier-Investment-Opportunities/dp/0857191721

Preface

Yet despite all the caveats, the Afro-pessimists have got it wrong. This time the continent really is on the rise. The biggest reason to be hopeful is that it takes time for results from past investments to come through, and many such benefits are yet to materialise. Billions have already been put into roads and schools over the past decade, the tech revolution has only just reached the more remote corners of the continent.

A Hopeful Continent, The Economist, 2 March 2013

Despite the global economic slowdown in 2012, growth in Sub-Saharan Africa remained robust, supported by resilient domestic demand and still high commodity prices. In 2012, the region’s growth was estimated at 4.7%. Excluding South Africa, the region’s largest economy, the remaining economies grew at a robust 5.8% – higher than the developing country average of 4.9%. The economies of around a quarter of countries in the region grew at 7% or better, and several African countries are among the fastest growing in the world.

What this book is about

As world attention turns to Africa as the newest and final frontier of business and investment, demand for coverage and analysis of the continent is growing. It is, by any measure, Africa’s turn – the world is now looking to Africa as the ultimate and final source of long-term economic growth opportunities. This book speaks to that demand by providing a concise, current analysis of the latest market dynamics; it identifies, develops and argues the fundamental framework for the viability of African markets and their value propositions.

Who this book is for

This book has