Clear insight

Blogs 02 July 2019

The very model of a modern Arab diplomat: Prince Khaled bin Bandar bin Sultan

If French is the traditional language of diplomacy, it seems appropriate that Prince Khaled was born in Paris and, we understand, proudly retains his links to the French state. Indeed you might be forgiven for thinking that his...

Blogs, Sport 30 May 2019

Sheikh Khalid closes in on Newcastle United

The Abu Dhabi ruling family may be set to continue its love affair with the English Premier League, as reports suggest that Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan is in talks to acquire club side Newcastle United. Although the deal is...

Blogs 07 May 2019

Home grown in the desert: agri-tech companies in the UAE and Saudi Arabia

The dry, sun-drenched deserts of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are not the obvious place to think of cultivating crops, yet restaurants and supermarkets in the region are increasingly stocking fruits and vegetables...

Blogs 06 March 2019

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...

Blogs 30 January 2019

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...

Blogs 22 January 2019

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...

Blogs 14 January 2019

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...

Blogs 03 January 2019

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’1 and while part of me is delighted, I’m also left feeling sceptical. Like many of us who have...

Blogs 15 November 2018

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....

Blogs 13 November 2018

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...

Blogs 12 November 2018

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...

Blogs 25 October 2018

Sub Saharan Africa: Most Valuable Brands 2017

Since launching our capabilities across Africa, the team have begun receiving enquiries and fielding lots of questions....

Blogs 17 October 2018

“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...

Blogs 13 October 2018

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...

Blogs 08 October 2018

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...

Blogs 27 June 2018

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,...

Blogs 05 June 2018

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 are ready to exit Iran if they do not secure sanctions waivers from...

Blogs 29 May 2018

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...

28 March 2018

Diligencia 10 years on – Part 2

As I look back over the last ten years I am struck by the fact that the MENA region has seen seismic changes. Quite apart from the political upheavals, notably the so-called Arab Spring, which at times led to a revolving door of...

Blogs 26 March 2018

Diligencia 10 years on – Part 1

10 years ago this month, I founded Diligencia.  I had no particular grand strategy at that stage, and certainly no formal business plan that I could have presented to potential investors, even if there were any.  All I had was a...