The africapractice team had emails flying round in response to the question: What do people not know about Africa?
There are plenty of preconceptions and misconceptions about the continent, but here are a few of the facts and figures that came up last week:
• Seven countries in Africa account for more than fifty per cent of the population (Nigeria, Ethiopia, DRC, SA, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan)
• Africa holds about 10% of the world's proven oil reserves
• There are up to 100 million members of the African Diaspora
• The longest cable car in the world is in Nigeria
• South Africa sold $1.8 billion worth of cars to the US last year, putting us ahead of Sweden and Italy as suppliers to the US market
• Africa is most affected by climate change but only produces 3% of global emissions
• Approximately half the population of Africa is under the age of 18
• Kenya is one of only five countries in the world that generates more than 15% of their electricity from geothermal sources
• Africa is the fastest growing telecoms market in the world
• Nigeria has a population the sum of the thirty one smallest countries in Africa
• Only 4% of Africa's hydropower potential is utilised currently
• Rwanda is ranked first by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in terms of the percentage of female politicians in its lower chamber, with 56.3 percent.
• The largest cement plant in the world is being built in Nigeria
• South Africa is the first, and to date only, country to build nuclear weapons and then voluntarily dismantle its entire nuclear weapons programme
• Almost 50% of all African immigrants in the United States hold a college diploma
• In the mid 1990s, there were more phones in New York City than the whole of Africa. But if the growth curve in mobile devices in Africa continues, it is likely to surpass the United States in number of mobile consumers
• The city of Pretoria, in South Africa, has the second largest number of embassies in the world after Washington, D.C.
A list of facts won't change people's image of Africa in one go, but it's all part of a far richer picture then a lot of people realise exists.
Showing posts with label Rwanda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rwanda. Show all posts
Monday, 2 November 2009
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Doing Business 2010
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank institution, released its annual “Doing Business 2010” report yesterday. The audit looks at how countries around the world have improved the environment for small to medium businesses (including sole traders and entrepreneurs) to set up and do business.
Singapore remains at the top for overall “ease of doing business” but some interesting results for Africa – and opportunities for sharing best practices.
287 reforms were recorded in 131 economies (June 2008 to May 2009) – a record – but more significant was the fact that low- and lower-middle-income economies accounted for two-thirds of reforms in 2008/09. Is the economic crisis hitting developing nations harder than we thought, kick-starting reformers into action to attract more inward investment?
Rwanda – the top reformer - introduced reforms in 7 out of the 10 categories (such as registering property, enforcing contracts, getting credit, protecting investors), rising from 143rd to 67th place on the ease of doing business rankings – and the first time a Sub-Saharan African country has led the world in reforms. Liberia entered the top ten, while Mauritius and Sierra Leone were also recognised for leading in certain areas.
So post-conflict countries have a reason to reform as well it seems – again with the driver of attracting Foreign Direct Investment. While business reforms are only one part of economic development / recovery, it is one area that the government can manage, monitor and measure. The question is how much the private sector can influence the government – but big business has to realise the advantages of a thriving SME sector in that case.
Rankings are one thing – the World Economic Forum also released its 2009 / 10 global competitiveness index yesterday, to give countries even more numbers to compete on, but surely what counts is the experience in each country. As Penelope Brook, Acting Vice President for Financial and Private Sector Development for the World Bank Group said – absolute scores are what matter. A women trying to set up a retail business in South Africa is not going to care what others are going through in Ghana or Guinea; what matters is the speed and ease of processes for her. All the top rankings in the world count for nothing if people on the ground don’t experience change.
So where to from here? Is it the case, as Thierry Tanoh, IFC Vice President for Sub Saharan Africa, states, that we are seeing a sea change in the way Africa views investment, or is it a short-term shift in rankings due to circumstance? There are remarkable signs of progress in Africa, with the likes of Rwanda providing a roadmap for others, but the ability to maintain that momentum, and weather the storms of political, economic or social changes is crucial – for domestic and international audiences and investors.
Singapore remains at the top for overall “ease of doing business” but some interesting results for Africa – and opportunities for sharing best practices.
287 reforms were recorded in 131 economies (June 2008 to May 2009) – a record – but more significant was the fact that low- and lower-middle-income economies accounted for two-thirds of reforms in 2008/09. Is the economic crisis hitting developing nations harder than we thought, kick-starting reformers into action to attract more inward investment?
Rwanda – the top reformer - introduced reforms in 7 out of the 10 categories (such as registering property, enforcing contracts, getting credit, protecting investors), rising from 143rd to 67th place on the ease of doing business rankings – and the first time a Sub-Saharan African country has led the world in reforms. Liberia entered the top ten, while Mauritius and Sierra Leone were also recognised for leading in certain areas.
So post-conflict countries have a reason to reform as well it seems – again with the driver of attracting Foreign Direct Investment. While business reforms are only one part of economic development / recovery, it is one area that the government can manage, monitor and measure. The question is how much the private sector can influence the government – but big business has to realise the advantages of a thriving SME sector in that case.
Rankings are one thing – the World Economic Forum also released its 2009 / 10 global competitiveness index yesterday, to give countries even more numbers to compete on, but surely what counts is the experience in each country. As Penelope Brook, Acting Vice President for Financial and Private Sector Development for the World Bank Group said – absolute scores are what matter. A women trying to set up a retail business in South Africa is not going to care what others are going through in Ghana or Guinea; what matters is the speed and ease of processes for her. All the top rankings in the world count for nothing if people on the ground don’t experience change.
So where to from here? Is it the case, as Thierry Tanoh, IFC Vice President for Sub Saharan Africa, states, that we are seeing a sea change in the way Africa views investment, or is it a short-term shift in rankings due to circumstance? There are remarkable signs of progress in Africa, with the likes of Rwanda providing a roadmap for others, but the ability to maintain that momentum, and weather the storms of political, economic or social changes is crucial – for domestic and international audiences and investors.
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