In French Last month, 44 African nations gathered in Kigali to sign an agreement establishing a framework for the world’s largest free trade area (FTA) since the creation of the World Trade Organisation in 1995 – but how ready is Africa for such a deal? And to what extent will the Continental FTA (CFTA) be able to enhance intra-regional trade? The deal aims to establish a single continental market…
In French 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…
A rallying economy and higher levels of liquidity are helping to put Nigeria’s real estate sector on the path to recovery, although infrastructure shortfalls and a lack of affordable offerings in the mid-market range could still curb growth. On March 20 the Mortgage Banking Association of Nigeria (MBAN) said it was seeking an agreement with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the National Pension…
Nigeria is proving to be an attractive draw for major manufacturers of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), supported by an expanding domestic market and renewed momentum in the broader economy. In February Nestlé Nigeria launched operations at a second beverage production plant located on the Agbara industrial estate in Ogun State. The N4.1bn ($11.4m) plant will produce 8000 tonnes of the brand’s…
Every year the African Business Club hosts The Africa Business Conference. The conference is aimed at providing an engaging environment in which policy makers, industry experts, successful entrepreneurs, investors, interested business persons and employees affiliated with the African business landscape can connect and collaborate on ways to take the continent’s business scene forward. This year we…
The inaugural edition of the Business Barometer: Nigeria CEO Survey by the global research and consultancy firm Oxford Business Group (OBG) suggests that the country is finally drawing a line under a challenging few years triggered by low global oil prices, with investor confidence on the rise. As part of its latest survey, which was undertaken in partnership with Deloitte Nigeria, OBG asked…
The fall in oil prices in 2014 shook markets around the world, but few have been hit as hard by the decline as Nigeria. At the time, Africa’s most populous country had been enjoying several years of steady growth, with GDP expanding by around 5% annually in the five years prior. A GDP rebasing in 2013 had calculated the economy’s size at roughly twice the previous estimates, which bumped its valuation…
OBG Business Barometer: Nigeria 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 and functional…
Higher levels of energy production, supported by rising prices, underpinned a recovery in Nigeria’s economy in 2017, with further gains expected this year. The Nigerian economy moved out of recession by the end of June, after four quarters of negative growth triggered largely by lower global energy prices and a reduction in oil output. Renewed momentum was maintained in the third quarter, with…
So much has happened over the past decade in the African markets we cover: Ghana discovered oil, Nigeria re-based its economy, Kenya developed mobile money, Côte d’Ivoire recovered from a civil war, Egypt underwent a peaceful revolution, and Morocco created an aeronautics industry. State assets were privatised, dictators were ousted, and new cities were built. Of course, there have been plenty…
