Africa's Rising Investment Prospects: A Look at Foreign Direct Investment Trends
Key Ideas
  • Foreign direct investment in Africa's clean energy sector remains strong, despite an overall decline in FDI inflows to the continent, indicating growing sustainability momentum.
  • Several African countries, including Mauritania and Egypt, attracted significant foreign investment in green hydrogen projects, with Mauritania's AMAN project being the largest globally in 2023.
  • Aside from green hydrogen, investments in e-mobility, solar, wind energy, chemicals, and electronics are on the rise, showcasing diverse opportunities for foreign investors in Africa.
  • The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Investment Protocol is poised to boost intraregional FDI, with untapped potential for expanding investment in processing industries and increasing value addition.
The clean energy sector, particularly green hydrogen, solar, wind, and battery manufacturing, is attracting substantial foreign direct investment (FDI) to Africa. Despite a 3% drop in overall FDI inflows to the continent, the interest in Africa's clean energy sector remains robust, fueling the continent's sustainability momentum. The UN Trade and Development's World Investment Report highlighted a growing share of global greenfield megaprojects in clean energy announced in Africa in 2023. Mauritania's AMAN green hydrogen project, aiming to generate 30GW from wind and solar, was the largest greenfield project announced worldwide in 2023. Other countries like Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco also saw significant investments in green hydrogen, e-mobility, solar, wind energy, chemicals, and electronics. Foreign investors, mainly from Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Singapore, are increasingly targeting Africa for investment opportunities. The regional performance varied, with North Africa and West Africa experiencing declines, while Central Africa saw a rise in greenfield projects. The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Investment Protocol, adopted in 2023, is expected to boost intraregional FDI, particularly in services and manufacturing industries. The report also highlighted the untapped potential in expanding investment in processing industries within Africa, emphasizing the opportunity to increase value addition and drive economic growth across the continent.
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