Showing 21 - 40 of 110 items, latest first
MTN – More than a corruption and bribery accusation
Business and politics are seldom unconnected in emerging markets, particularly in strategic infrastructure sectors such as telecoms. So when relations between nation states ebb and flow, the fate of those countries’ commercial...
The Dantatas, the Dangotes and a bid to transform Nigeria’s downstream oil industry
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the founder of Dangote Group of Companies, is easy to write headlines about; not only has he been named as Africa’s richest man for the 7th year in a row, but has also made clear his personal ambition to buy...
Mozambique: The new Seychelles?
Natural gas might seem the obvious investment story for Mozambique, and there is no doubt that with the discovery offshore of the world’s 14th largest reserves by volume ¹ the country’s economy will in time be transformed. But...
Silk City, Kuwait: a key staging post on the New Silk Road?
A recent flurry of meetings between officials from Kuwait and China has prompted speculation that Kuwait may be pivoting away from their alliance with the United States, and instead have opted to strengthen their allegiance to...
Who is behind Dubai Wonderland?
While scanning the news items of the day, I read about an impressive ‘$191m fund launched to finance Dubai Wonderland project’1and while part of me is delighted, I’m also left feeling sceptical. Like many of us who have...
Sub Saharan Africa | 2017 Fastest Growing SMEs
In our series, looking at the top performers across SSA, we go to the SME-segment of the market and recognise the fastest growing companies....
Sub Saharan Africa | 2017 Best Performing Companies
In anticipation of what 2018 will prove in the battle of the brands, we take a look at the best performers in 2017. Four key metrics were used: liquidity, solvency, return on assets and profit margin. Last year, South African...
Sub Saharan Africa | What are the fastest growing e-commerce start-ups?
COMPANY COUNTRY SECTOR MeQasa Ghana Online real estate iRoko TV Nigeria Media services provider BitPesa Kenya Blockchain technology Giraffe South Africa Mobile Recruitment Platform Dusu Pay Uganda Digital...
Sub Saharan Africa: Most Valuable Brands 2017
Since launching our capabilities across Africa, the team have begun receiving enquiries and fielding lots of questions....
“The sun rush” – Off-grid solar power companies in East and West Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the sunniest places in the world but despite this abundance of natural resource, it ranks amongst the most reliant upon fossil fuels for the production of electricity. Moreover, access to electricity...
Out of currency devaluation comes….transparency?
Whilst the Iranian rial (IRR) has been hammered over recent weeks following the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, the Iranian government has tried to reassure the public that it has no shortage of foreign currency. In response...
Nigerian-Lebanese: West Africa’s Most Successful Diaspora
Over the years, Lebanon’s strongest export has been its citizens, who remit billions of dollars annually back to their country. Much of this capital flow has originated from Nigeria, where Lebanese immigrants settled as early as...
To be a (business) woman in Saudi Arabia
In the week that Saudi Arabia became the last country in the world to permit women to drive, you may be forgiven for thinking that the Gulf is only just waking up to ideas such as women’s rights and equal opportunities. However,...
A tough road ahead for European companies in Iran
With European companies scrambling to adjust to America’s unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, some major businesses have already declared that they areready to exit Iranif they do not secure sanctions waivers from...
The case for consolidation within the UAE
Scale. Efficiencies. Strategic fit…some of the reasons often given for a merger, JV or other form of strategic partnership between companies. The spate of high-profile mergers in the UAE in recent months, particularly amongst...
Blockchain and compliance
Everybody’s talking about blockchain. Or to use its less catchy alternative name, distributed ledger technology (DLT). It’s the latest thing, and everyone wants a part of it – so much so that a company only needs to mention...
Sporting passions in MENA – Motorsport
In 1977 Frank Williams, then owner of a fledgling Formula 1 racing team, took the unusual step at that time of travelling to Saudi Arabia in search of sponsorship....
The Independent’s Saudi investor
More details about Sultan Mohamed Abuljadayel have gradually been emerging since the announcement on 28 July that he had acquired 30 per cent of Independent Digital News and Media, owner of the Independent digital newspaper....
COMPANIES IN THE NEWS: Mohammed Al Abbar, Noon.com and Adeptio
Amazon’s announcement this week that it has agreed to acquire Souq.com for an estimated USD650m sets the scene for a battle between the global online retail giant and a soon-to-launch regional competitor in the shape of Noon.com....
Who will stand to benefit from the lifting of sanctions on Sudan?
This week the US government announced that it was lifting its longstanding sanctions on trade with Sudan. In one of Obama’s final acts in office, the US will adopt a new approach to Sudan – allowing more freedom of trade with...