Carte Blanche with Perry

Throughout history, very few people have had the rare ability to conjure up such a concoction of emotions in people when they speak. Hate him or love him, President Barack Obama has distinctively set himself apart as an orator of note throughout his presidency. This has been more evident on his recent tour of Africa, in the speeches he has been delivering especially to the young people. Whether his speeches are filled with platitudes or mere political rhetoric, the American President has managed to highlight fundamental issues affecting the African continent and its people. Africa rising has been the catchphrase in the last couple of years, following the blistering pace of economic development the continent has been enjoying, especially in   sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, research has shown that, six of the world`s ten fastest growing economies of the past decade are in sub-Saharan Africa. Zambia and Rwanda are some of the countries that have capitalised on this phenomenon thr...

Youth unemployment continues to be a major problem in Zimbabwe, where youths who constitute a large proportion of the population are still without gainful employment. While several explanations have been offered to explain this phenomenon, I believe these reasons, no matter the supposed justification, are red herrings that do not adequately address the issue of youth unemployment. In the last couple of years, the story of Africa rising has been well documented, as the emerging markets outperformed most established western markets. With an annual inflation rate which is lower than her regional peers, as well as a relatively higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate than regional counterparts, Zimbabwe too has in a sense, been rising. The unfortunate paradox that the largest population sub-group in the country still represents the largest strata of those unemployed, however still exists. This renders whatever positive strides that have been made irrelevant in the grand sch...

That China has emerged as a global economic powerhouse especially in the aftermaths of the global financial crisis cannot be disputed. In fact, it is credited as having been the key driver of global economic growth, in a period where the western economic markets were largely subdued. Africa has benefitted immensely from the growth of the Chinese economy in the recent past. Statistics show that by the end of 2012, China`s Foreign Direct Investment in the continent approached the $20 billion mark. For all intents and purposes, this is a significant amount of investment which goes to show the prominence with which the so called ‘sleeping giant’ is rising. Zimbabwe has increasingly become more reliant on China, on the back of the ‘look east policy’ being pursued by the Zimbabwean government. Chinese owned Anjin investments invested $400 million to form a joint venture with the Zimbabwean government to mine diamonds in the Marange fields. Furthermore, various companies in the count...

Abstract Following the dollarization of the Zimbabwean economy in 2009, the country has seen its economic fundamentals improve. Inflation has been reigned in, and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth has been on an upward trajectory. However, Zimbabwe`s total external debt overhang continues to stifle the recovery of the country`s economy, as investors are not willing to lend to the country, and this has had adverse effects on the country`s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows. Zimbabwe`s external debt overhang is currently estimated at around US$10.7 billion, which is a gigantic, 111% of the country`s GDP. IMF Report, (2012) To circumvent the problem of external debt, which continues to be a major impediment to the economic recovery of the country, various scholars have put forward several solutions which include, declaring Zimbabwe as a Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC), and securitisation of the country`s mineral resources. This study looks at securitisation of...

www.investinginafrica.net Investing In Africa Africa is a continent with significant untapped economic potential, which presents opportunities for investors. It is the second largest continent, with an estimated area of 30 368 609 Km 2 . In the next 20 years, forecasts show that Africa will surpass the 2 Billion population mark, with at least 1, 2 Billion people living in urban cities. Of these, about 300 Million people will be earning US$20 a day, effectively creating a US$2 Trillion market annually, according to the African Development Bank. This growing population compounded with the effects of urbanisation and rising levels of affluence, is likely to attract investors into most of Africa`s frontier markets. This phenomenon has already begun, at the July 2012 China-Africa co-operative summit, the Chinese government through the China Export-Import bank pledged US$20 Billion in new loans over the next 3 years to Africa. Interestingly, it seems that Africans are realising ...