Over 1 billion population

Growth rate over 5% for 15 years

Large emerging consumer market

Young and dynamic workforce

With 450 mln workers joining by 2035

Low levels of health and education

Imperative of job creation and skills mismatch

Increasing regulatory reforms to promote competitiveness

Regional integration will help build economies of scale and increase competition

Huge divergences in macro-economic performances

Only 11.3 % of trade in Africa is intra-regional

Financial markets top performers: South Africa, Kenya and Mauritius

Financial markets under-performers include Algeria and Libya

Economy led by agriculture and expanding service sector

Services can drive greater gender opportunities

Labour productivity remains low

70% of the population in South Africa and 55% in Kenya own bank accounts, compared to just 3.0% in Niger

Communication, finance, insurance and other commercial services are positively correlated with development

Firms will need to look at factors such as financial inclusion, formal job creation and market accessibility

Opportunities from innovative business models such as mobile technology services (ie M-PESA money transfer system)

Over 4/5 of the populations holds a mobile subscription

Need to develop adequate infrastructures