Investment promotion in Africa is an important subject that encompasses various aspects of an economy including tourism, private-public partnerships, industrialization, trade, and sustainable growth. It is in fact, the process of attracting and facilitating FDI into a country, or region. Effective investment promotion strategies can create jobs, enhance technology transfer, and boost economic growth.
The covid-19 pandemic has created opportunities to reframe investors' engagement within the African continent. The AfDB African Economic Outlook 2023 projected a stabilized economic trajectory at 4.1% in 2023-24 against the steep decline from 4.8% in 2021 to 3.8% in 2022. In order to effectively communicate this upward economic trajectory and reaffirm the confidence of investors, we must be willing to strategically implement concrete policies and build capacity for effective investment promotion.
C.Anyawu in 2006 listed some of the biggest deterring factors holding the continent from the high inflow of FDI including; poor governance, corruption, unfavorable regulatory environment, low resources mobilization, high economic volatility, small individual country sizes, capital development, poor image, shortage of fx, huge internal and external debt burden, human development index, and underdeveloped capital markets. These tenets detract investors from investing because they are a sharp contrast to what they truly desire. Profit. Investors need a conducive and secure business environment in order to carry out business like infrastructure, tax incentives, deregulation, and quality of human capital.
The outlined strategies aim to enhance investment prospects in Africa by emphasizing governance, regional cooperation, market access, and trade regime fairness.
National Level:
Sustained Reform Efforts: African countries must continue and deepen the reforms initiated in the past decade.
Macroeconomic Prudence: Maintaining stable macroeconomic policies and avoiding policy reversals are vital for a predictable investment climate and boosting investor confidence.
Mobilizing Domestic Savings: Implementing tax reforms, sharing costs for public goods, and enhancing public expenditure efficiency are essential. Focus on broadening the tax base, emphasizing indirect taxes like VAT, and improving tax administration.
Regional Level:
Peer Pressure Mechanisms: Utilize regional surveillance mechanisms, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), to encourage good governance and enhance the investment climate.
Regional Integration: Strengthen AfCFTA-driven regional integration to expand market size, reduce policy reversals, and bolster economic policy credibility.
Infrastructure Cooperation: Foster collaboration in infrastructure development, including telecommunications, transportation, power generation, and water supply, to lower costs, boost trade, and attract foreign investment.
Capital Market Development: Promote domestic capital markets by supporting regional and continental stock exchanges to mobilize savings and create efficient markets.
International Level:
Improved Market Access: Industrialized nations should reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers to African exports to stimulate development and foreign direct investment.
Trade Regime Facilitation: International partners should work towards an open and equitable trade regime, addressing issues of export quality, subsidies, and unfair competition.
Agricultural Trade Concerns: Address concerns over subsidies and tariffs that hinder agricultural specialization and fair competition for developing country farmers.
The Prospect of investment Promotion in Africa