En Français One year ago, when Oxford Business Group released the results of its first Business Barometer: OBG in Africa CEO Survey, almost 50 nations signed an agreement to create what would become the world’s largest trade area: the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The deal is now closer than ever to becoming a reality after Gambia ratified the agreement in early April, bringing…
En Français Business Barometer: OBG in Africa CEO Survey Copyright (c). All rights reserved. This survey has been designed to assess business sentiment amongst business leaders (chief executives or equivalent) and their outlook for the next 12 months. Unlike many surveys, the OBG Business Barometer is conducted by OBG staff on a face-to-face basis, across the full range of industries, company…
In English Il y a un an, alors qu’Oxford Business Group publiait son premier Business Barometer: sondage auprès des PDG du continent africain, près de cinquante nations ont signé un accord visant à créer la plus grande zone de libre-échange au monde : la Zone de libre échange continentale (ZLEC). Suite à la ratification du traité début avril par la Gambie, qui a permis d’atteindre le…
In English Business Barometer: OBG in Africa CEO Survey Copyright (c). All rights reserved. This survey has been designed to assess business sentiment amongst business leaders (chief executives or equivalent) and their outlook for the next 12 months. Unlike many surveys, the OBG Business Barometer is conducted by OBG staff on a face-to-face basis, across the full range of industries, company sizes…
In 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of humanity was living in urban areas. Perhaps the most remarkable observation about this trend is the speed at which it has happened: as recently as 1900 urban areas accounted for 13% of the global population. Towns and cities are seen as the crucibles of opportunity for many rural dwellers. The UN estimates that by 2030 urban areas will…
Aided by easier and cheaper travel, global tourism has experienced two decades of almost uninterrupted growth. According to the World Bank, the number of international departures more than doubled between 1997 and 2017, from 687m to 1.57bn per annum. With the global middle class estimated by the US-based think tank Brookings Institution to be expanding by as many as 160m people per year, it…
Kenya’s main power producer is looking to tap the bond market to fund the expansion of its green energy capacity, with renewable resources set to completely replace the country’s thermal electricity generation within 15 years. On February 13 Rebecca Miano, the CEO of Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), said the company intended to issue a new bond in the fourth quarter of this year…
Against a backdrop of increasingly severe and financially straining climate events and natural disasters, technology is poised to play an important role in maintaining and improving global agricultural output. The adoption of digital and precision farming practices has been shown to improve crop resiliency, and boost productivity and incomes, particularly in emerging markets where small-scale…
Blockchain – the distributed-ledger technology that underpins cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin – appears set to transform a wide variety of industries and perhaps fundamentally change the way business is conducted across the global economy. While the technology is still taking off, and not everyone is convinced about its potential, many emerging markets are hoping that it will allow them…
