African Alpha: Blog
The African Alpha is a blog dedicated to opening up discussion on African related news and topics of interest. Viewers have the opportunity to comment on the articles and discussions below.
40 Top Companies Highlight Africa´s Economic Awakening
July 13th 2010 | AllAfrica.com40 fast-growing African companies highlight the continent´s economic awakening, according to a recent report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).Titled the ´African challengers´ the report says the 40 African companies range in size from $350- million to $80-billion in annual sales and represent most of the major industry sectors. They all display strong growth, an international footprint, and ambitious plans to further expand overseas.Most of the companies are based in South Africa (with 18 companies), Egypt (with 7), and Morocco (with 6). The nine remaining firms...know more
World Cup ´rebrands´ South African economy
July 12th 2010 | BBC NewsThe slogan Ke Nako, or "it is time", has been the catchy theme phrase of the recent World Cup, promoting the idea of a South Africa ready and able to host huge global events.And generally the country was ready, leaving aside some transport glitches and issues around Fifa's ticketing, as fans from 32 nations enjoyed the first World Cup on the African continent.But is South Africa now ready for the post-World Cup economic challenges that face the nation, and can it carry forward the momentum...know more
A New Kind of Inequality: Black Economic Empowerment has had Unintended Consequences
June 3rd 2010 | The Economist For centuries white South Africans had held all the country’s assets almost exclusively in their own hands. It was in order to spread this wealth a little more evenly that the ANC introduced black economic empowerment (BEE). But instead of benefiting the mass of poor blacks, as intended, the policy has resulted in “a few individuals benefiting a lot”, as Mr Zuma admitted earlier this year. He should know; he and many of his family members are among the lucky few. He has now vowed...know more
Jobless Growth: The Economy is Doing Nicely - But at Least One Person in Three is Out of Work
June 3rd 2010 | The Economist When the ANC took over in 1994, it inherited an economy that was virtually bankrupt, following decades of mismanagement, international sanctions and violent protests. Since then exports have doubled in real terms to reach $91 billion in 2008, accounting for 33% of GDP; output per person has risen by more than a quarter, having fallen throughout the previous two decades; public debt has halved, to 23% of GDP in 2008; inflation, in double digits throughout the 1980s, has shrunk to 5.1%, well within...know more
Forty Fast-Growing and Globalizing Companies Highlight Africa’s Economic Awakening, According to a Report by The Boston Consulting Group
June 2nd 2010 | The Boston Consulting Group Forty African companies, the “African challengers,” have been rapidly expanding, competing in the global economy, and highlighting the vitality of a continent whose economic accomplishments rarely receive attention, according to a report published today by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG).The 40 African challengers range in size from $350 million to $80 billion in annual sales and represent most of the major industry sectors. They all display strong growth, an international footprint,and ambitious plans to further expand overseas. Most of the companies are based...know more
Africa´s Local Champions Begin to Spread Out
May 26th 2010 | The Wall Street Journal Foreign consumer-goods companies including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Unilever PLC have been in Africa for decades without much competition from local players. Now, home-grown companies are expanding aggressively across the continent, eager to accommodate a growing middle-class among the billion-person population. Among the most prominent of these consumer upstarts: African retailers such as Nakumatt Holdings Ltd. of Kenya, the top supermarket chain in East Africa, MTN Group Ltd., Africa´s largest cellphone provider, and South African restaurant chain Spur Corp. Nakumatt has expanded into...know more