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The Rate of Return on foreign investment is higher in Africa than in any other developing region. Global executives and investors has to pay heed.

Africa’s economic pulse has quickened, infusing the continent with new commercial vibrancy. Real GDP rose by 4.9 percent a year from 2000 through 2008, more then twice its pace in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Telecommunications, banking and retailing are flourishing. Construction is booming. Private-investment inflows are surging.

To be sure, many Africa’s 50-plus individual economies face serious challanges, including poverty, disease, and high infant mortality. Yet Africa’s collective GDP, at $1,6 trillion in 2008, is now roughly equal to Brazil’s or Russia’s and the continent is among the world’s most rapidly growing economic regions.This acceleration is a sign of hard-earned progress and promise.

While Africa’s increased economic momentum is widely recognized, its sources and likely staying power are less understood.

In order to read the full length of the report, please read more here. (You need to register at McKinsey Quarterly in order to receive the full length of the report, or email info@africaspotential.com in order to know more about the report.)

Painted by: O.A Jonas

Tinga Tinga Art from Tanzania.

http://tingatingastudio.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

News from the East African private equity market. “During the international financial crisis in 2007 & 2008 the African continent rode out the financial storm better then the large majority of the world. The immense opportunities in the African continent has really been an eye-opener for allot of international Private Equity firms, but finding and identifying human capital domestically and internationally to the East-African region is the key issue in order to build your business.” says Africa Business News

In order to keep updated what’s going on in the East African region, we suggest that you have these links in mind:

1. Africa Business News

2. The New Times Rwanda

3. The East African – Understanding The Region

4. The Standard – Kenya

5. The New Vision Uganda

6. Venture Capital in Africa

7. Allafrica.com

8. Daily News – Tanzania

During this week Africa’s Potential and more then 130 trade commissioners, ambassadors, innovators and entrepreneurs were invited to take part of SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) conference in Härnösand, the northern part of Sweden. SIDAs new initiative, the launching of the new program Business For Development (B4D). The focus of this conference aimed towards reaching out to Clean Tech, Creative & Innovative ideas in order to fight poverty in a more effective way.

During this conference world known speakers and innovators held seminars, such as Mr Günther Pauli (see the Youtube video below) Founder of the ZERI Foundation (Zero Emissions Research & Initiatives), which is a global network of creative minds seeking solutions to world challenges. The common vision shared by the members of the ZERI family is to view waste as resource and seek solutions using nature’s design principles as inspiration. He’s also the author of the Blue Economy book, which is reaching out regarding a new business model to inspire entrepreneurs to shape a new economy based on competative innovations, creating JOBS and SOCIAL CAPITAL.

The Blue Economy began as a project to find one hundred of the best nature-inspired technologies that could effect the economies of the world, while sustainably providing basic human needs – potable water, food, jobs and healthful shelter. Starting with 2,231 peer review articles Dr. Pauli found 340 innovations that could be bundled into systems that function the way ecosystems do. These were then additionally reviewed by a team of corporate strategists, expert financiers, and public policy makers. Further meetings with entrepreneurs, financial analysts, business reporters and corporate strategy academics reduced the list to one hundred. These are listed in an appendix of The Blue Economy.

Another great inspiring encounter during the Conference was when Sunita Narain took the stage beside Mr Pauli. Sunita Narian is an Indian environmentalist and political activist as well as a major proponent of the Green concept of sustainable development. Narain has been with the India-based Centre for Science and Environment since 1982. She is currently the director of the Centre and the director of the Society for Environmental Communications and publisher of the fortnightly magazine, Down To Earth. CSE recognised that the water issue today required a different management paradigm. Her passion and contagious will-power really shook her surroundings and was felt across the large theatre in Härnösand! She’s a true change agent!

During next week Africa’s Potential will be attending the Africa Day 2010 at the Swedish Parliament, and the discussions regarding ICT-solutions in the African continent.

Warm regards,

Team Africa’s Potential.

P.S Here’s one of Mr Paulis inspiring lectures. Feel free to comment your thoughts and ideas…..

Click here to view the embedded video.

Africa’s Potential has already started giving lectures, but it’s about time to start inviting more interested people who support our vision in the East-African region. During the month of May 2010, Africa’s Potential will appear at Stockholm School of Economics seminar regarding the emerging market of East Africa and the high potential of the East-African Community. This is an initiative of the East-African entrepreneurship program at Stockholm School of Economics. Other eye catching companies and organizations such as Swedish Trade Council, Oriflame, The HQ Bank Africa Fund, Micro Finans, will also appear.

Subject: “Is Africa a potential market and can it make a difference?”

Date: 26th of April, 2010.

Time: 13:00 – 17:00

Location: Stockholm School of Economics, Sveavägen, 113 50 Stockholm, Sweden.

The week after that, Africa’s Potential will be holding a lecture at Södertörn College, during the International Day at the Södertörn College.

Subject: “Africa’s Potential and the emerging market of East-Africa”

Date: 4th of May, 2010.

Time: 14:30-16:00.

Location: Södertörns College, Alfred Nobels Allé 7, 141 52 Huddinge, Sweden.

The next event that Africa’s Potential will most likely appear as a moderator at Tällberg Foundations  5th Global YES Summit – Rework the World gathers 2000 entrepreneurs and decision makers from all over the world.

Dates: 2nd – 5th of June, 2010.

Location: Leksand, Dalarna, Sweden.

More information will come shortly regarding the Rework the World events. We hope that some of our 200 unique bloggreaders will show up for any of these lectures & seminars, you’re more then welcome to attend!

Warm regards,

The Africa’s Potential Team.

Click here to view the embedded video.

During my visit in Kigali I met the charismatic entrepreneur Fabrice Ngoga Shema, who’s today successfully running his paper bag production company, called SOGEM. (I’ve mentioned Fabrice in earlier blogs here at Africa’s Potential) In this Youtube-clip he tells his story of how the banning of the plastic bags in Rwanda became a great business idea and further on a company which found local financial solutions resulting in the making of SOGEM.

This is a business that the Western world has to take into consideration. Banning the plastic bags and use ecological paper bags which are easier to recycle, rather then using plastic bags that are harmfull for the environment. I guess the plastic bags has a higher number of sales profit margin, that’s maybe the reason why the majority of the Western world still uses plastic bags? What do you think?

This is a great lesson for the Western world to learn from SOGEM and the Rwandan Government, to ban the use of plastic bags and at the same time finding environmental solutions.

Warm regards,

Emre Gürler.

The former Swedish Prime Minister, Ingvar Carlsson, who served as the UN Mandated Independent Inquiry into the UN actions during the 1994 Rwandan genocide addressed a keynote regarding the reasons why the UN failed to intervene. The late Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palmes wife, Lisbet Palme was also present.

A moment of silence in the memory of those who perished in the genocide was held as well as a testimony by Ms. Devota Mukeshimana, a genocide survivor who told her nightmare story were there are only 3 left in her family, who used to be a total of 10 people. The closing remarks was held by H.E the Ambassador of Rwanda, Jaqueline Mukangira.

Africa’s Potential has now succeeded in the mission to send two Swedish entrepreneurship-students, Sebastian Kirchsteiger and Carl von Post, from the Linneaus University to the Rwandan capital of Kigali, in order to create a business-plan/study for the potential building of a businessincubator in Kigali, together with Africa’s Potential’s partner Global Business Lab, which is founded and based at the Stockholm School of Economics. The aim for this project is to increase knowledge-transfer and trade between Sweden and Rwanda.

What is Global Business Labs then? Global Business Labs aim to accelerate entrepreneurship globally. Through a global network of incubators, they strive to support driven entrepreneurs in building their ventures. They provide infrastructure, coaching, knowledge and network to ensure faster time to market, faster growth and higher survival rate. Their award winning model of incubation increase return on investment, for the entrepreneur, partners, investors and the local communities in which we operate. Global Business Labs are in the same stages being installed in Chisinau and Dubai. The World class results speaks for itself:

52 companies in SSE Business Lab between the years 2004-2008:

During February 2010 the Founder & CEO of  Africa’s Potential, Emre Gürler, held a lecture for the business students (Civilekonomprogrammet) at the Linnaeus University’s School of Management and Economics.

The lecture was a mix between how to get inspired to climb out of your comfort zone and to actually dare to take a look outside the security barriers that we in the Western world have created. We have to do this in order to see the vast opportunities that exist in  for example the East-African region.  A large reason why the world is waking up slowly is due to the fact of the African stereotypes and  negative massmedia portrayal of the African continent. Or rather, the lack of focus on the success stories of the continent. There has to be a more balanced massmedia picture of the African continent in order to make the general public aware of the vast opportunities that actually exist. What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you hear the word Africa? Is it positive or negative and why is that?

There are many stereotypes regarding the continent of Africa. To see what kind of mindset we in the Western world have  about the brand-image of Africa, Emre Gürler started by asking a couple of students in the crowd: “What is the first thing that comes into your mind when I mention the word Africa?” The answers varied. The most common answers were: “Poverty”, “Civil unrest” and “Undeveloped countries”. At the end of the lecture when he asked more students the same questions, the answers were very different. Key-words and sentences such as “Entrepreneurial“, “Emerging market” and “A continent filled with opportunities and people who are highly driven to eradicate poverty through their own entrepreneurial skills” were the answers that came from the business-students.

During this 2-hour lecture, Emre Gürler, showed cases of how African entrepreneurs with high amount of entrepreneurial skills with no or little financial means created jobs and business that today are sustainable and successful.

The lecture also aimed towards opening the horizon for these business students to know that we shouldn’t always stare ourselves blind to get the “hottest” business-jobs in New York City, London or any other Western metropolitan city. The most important thing is to not stare too much on what your neighbour has, or your best friend. Take a good look inside of you and stop for once to reflect upon your daily life. Where am I going with this job? Where do I want to go? What do I want to accomplish and for who? We live in a world where we tend to look more at our friends and neighbours and stop reflecting upon where we really want to go. Meaning, stand up for you inner thoughts and dreams and just  take that leap!! The reason for  saying this was to show the students a new career-path within  the international development-industry, especially within Social Entrepreneurship. Time and time again Emre  Gürler comes back to one sentence: ” Embody the change you want to see in your world, whether or not it’s a small or big change” .

One of Africa’s Potentials aims is to show that the African continent is a prosperous continent with allot of success stories that never reaches the interest of the massmedia.

If your organization, company or university is interested in inviting Africa’s Potential as a inspirational lecturer, in the topics of:

• Social Entrepreneurship & Social Return On Investment (SROI).
• The Emerging Market & Trade opportunities in the East-African region.
• How Social Media is pushing the development of the trade and investment relations in Africa.

Are you curious to invite Africa’s Potential for a lecture? In that case please email: info@africaspotential.com.

Live well and follow your dream // The Africa’s Potential Team.