Welcome to the 13th issue of The Journal of African Business, a unique guide to business and investment in Africa. Since the inaugural issue was published as an annual in 2020, the quarterly format has been adopted, giving our team more opportunities to bring to readers up-to-date information and opinions and offering our clients increased exposure at specific times of the year.
We cover a broad range of topics, ranging from energy, agriculture, manufacturing and mining to tourism and skills development.
Senior members of the staff at the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PACCI) have contributed a thought-provoking article for this issue on the lessons that African policy-makers can learn from the implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), across the continent. They argue that those lessons should be applied to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
AGOA was approved by the US Congress in 2000, providing trade preferences for a large range of goods from qualifying countries that could enter the US duty-free. The textile and apparel industry in particular was boosted in several countries because of the relaxation of tariffs. Having been renewed in 2015, AGOA is up for consideration again in 2025 but the current political climate in the US is vastly different from 2000 and 2015. President Donald Trump has made it clear that his only economic priority is the wellbeing of the United States.
The PACCI authors look at the good and bad aspects of how AGOA was applied in various countries and industries across the continent, and point to specific steps that should be taken in implementing AfCFTA that would reap the best rewards for Africa.
An interview with Jobin Joejoe, Managing Director, Sony Middle East and Africa (MEA), offers insights into that company’s strategies in Africa. There is news about a large new renewable-energy platform that is being supported by local and international funders and Jacques de Villiers of Omnia Holdings explains why Sub-Saharan African agricultural supplies were largely able to escape the turmoil that roiled global logistics in recent years.
A report on the Critical Minerals Africa 2024 event concludes that minerals vital to the transition to cleaner energy could be at the heart of the economic transformation of Africa.
Three authors from law firm Webber Wentzel note that new competition regulators are appearing in different African countries and regions. They ask whether this is good for mergers and acquisitions or if it should be a cause for concern.
