Special report: Africa's rising investment potential

Special report: Africa's rising investment potential

Africa is slowly emerging as an economic powerhouse, with demographics to rival China. But a lack of basic infrastructure, combined with political governance issues, means some investors are reluctant to approach it. Annabelle Williams travelled to Ghana to decipher the investment possibilities of the continent.

Last month, I visited Ghana as a guest of emerging market specialists Alquity Investment Management, along with a group of investors. Although I had been on a safari holiday in Kenya several years ago, and once read a book on African politics, I had never visited the ‘real’ Africa. Nor, like many in the investment world, did I have an understanding of business culture in the region. Stepping off the plane in the capital, Accra, the jumbled mix of modernity and ‘old’ Africa was immediately apparent. There were half a dozen adverts for mobile phone companies displayed during the short w...