Advancements in science and technology are pivotal to Africa’s growth trajectory in order to generate significant economic and human capital. In a time of great change such as now, the timeline of future technology largely promising and “the science community believes STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) is the greatest value to man”. Yet as the…
Over the past months, eastern and southern African countries have been hit by some of the most severe droughts in recorded history. With estimates of over 11 million people effected in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia alone, the effects of climatic conditions on agricultural productivity are conspicuous. Despite the current magnitude, strong fluctuations in climatic conditions…
In a bid to secure access to long-term energy supplies and other raw materials to sustain industralisation and production, China has turned to Africa. A region traditionally characterised by high political and security risks, Africa has enjoyed relatively unrecognized economic growth at an average of about six percent over the last decade. [1] In comparison…
Last year the crown prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Bin Salman, announced that Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company would launch an Initial Public Offering (IPO) as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan. The Vision 2030 aims to reduce the Kingdom’s dependence on oil by investing in businesses in the non-oil…
The eve of China’s nineteenth party congress brought promising news for Chinese fintech: Qudian, a new loan and microlending platform for consumer and small business, jumped twenty-two percentage points during its IPO debut on the New York Stock Exchange. [1] The company generated $900 million (USD) in its initial offering, demonstrating that investors see a…
On the 11th of October 2017, The Central Bank of the Philippines announced a massive reduction of foreign equity inflows to the Philippines by 90 percent for the first half of 2017, while net foreign direct investment have dropped 14 percent to US$3.6 billion.[1] This should not come as a surprise to many people in…
After years of flushing the financial system with easy money through multiple quantitative easing programs and low interest rates, the Federal Reserve has finally started to slowly raise interest rates and begin the challenging process of unwinding its massive US$4.5 trillion balance sheet.[1] The U.S. economy has been the centre of focus in this process,…
Venezuelan bonds are riding a high as the PDVSA skirted default in late October. The state-owned oil company’s $3bn bond maturing in April 2017 is trading at a two-year high of 87 cents on the dollar, up from a record low of 36 cents in February. Many bondholders believe that Venezuela is a good short-term…
On August 31st 2016, Dilma Rousseff became the first President of Brazil to be impeached, perhaps the culminating point of the political instability in a country plagued with corruption and cronyism. Only a few months before, in April, Argentina made the headlines by raising $16.5bn in a bond sale, the largest amount for an emerging…
Since the end of the financial crisis, infrastructure construction is booming in Nigeria. Rapid population growth and urbanisation make infrastructure and real estate construction in the country a necessity. The construction industry is now the second largest employer, growing around 9.5% annually over the past years. Construction is a particularly interesting sector for investment as…