Seismic shifts in the sociopolitical landscape across the world are changing the global environment for business in unprecedented ways. The UK’s Brexit decision, which became a catalyst for further "exit or remain" debate across other EU member states; large-scale migration; the threat of terrorism across Europe; the controversy and media drama of the US presidential election; and the major shifts continuing in the Chinese economy are just some of the events combining to raise global uncertainty. Of most relevance to us in Africa is that inherent in these events is a populist threat to trade and investment in emerging economies, particularly as the US, the UK and France remain the largest contributors of foreign direct investment on the continent. In Africa, we may regard these distracting and potentially destabilising influences somewhat ruefully, given that it is the developing world that has for decades been characterised as unstable and uncertain. Africa has had its share of soc...
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