Africans Investing in Africa

It is not foreign investment or importation of knowledge and capacity from the outside what Africa needs, but to unleash its own potential. As Paul Collier mentions in the introduction of Africans Investing in Africa, “although for Africa, the past decade has been economically benign, attention in the international business media has been narrowly focused” (p. 1). International investors have largely concentrated on the natural resources sector, but Africa has a lot more to offer. Africa’s economies have huge potential for growth diffused across many sectors. 

Africans Investing in Africa is the result of a project conceived in 2011 by the Johannesburg-based Brenthurst Foundation and the Lagos-based Tony Elumelu Foundation. The book has sixteen different contributors hailing from respected universities and research institutions in Africa, Europe and North America; all of them with deep knowledge of the issues under consideration as well as a thorough mastery and experience in African affairs.

How South Africa Works

It is common knowledge that South Africa is in a critical point; some sort of crossroads where a misstep may determine a rapid recovery or a drawback from where it would take decades to recover. A number of factors have made the South African economy vulnerable. But not only is the economy in a bad shape. That is also the case of the political and social spheres. And even though How South Africa Works perfectly illustrates all these topics, it is especially concerned about the economic perspective. Because of that, I would also like to point out here another liberal analysis published recently tackling these issues. R.W. Johnson’s How long will South Africa survive? The looming crisis is a good complement for How South Africa Works, since it comes at the same issues from a political angle.