IAN MACLEOD: FDI vs friction in Africa
Legal hurdles often hold back investment, with highly concentrated flows benefiting only a few locations
03 July 2025 - 05:00
“Investment is up 75% in Africa!” That was the shallow takeaway from the UN Trade & Development’s (Unctad’s) World Investment Report 2025. However, as is typical with statistics, the important information was hidden in the nuance.
This investment figure referred to foreign direct investment (FDI). That’s good. These are more powerful drivers of growth than portfolio flows. FDI inflows into Africa hit $97bn in 2024. That was 6% of total FDI, up from 4% the previous year. And 11% of total FDI flows to developing economies, up from 6%...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
This article is free to read if you sign up or sign in.
If you have already registered or subscribed, please sign in to continue.
Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.