2021 Africa Roundup Interview Series

Michael leads Clyde & Co’s corporate/M&A team for East Africa – advising international companies and funds on strategic transactions across the region.

In Michael’s roundup interview, he speaks about his work with the world’s largest undeveloped nickel mine, the rise of M&A deals in South Africa, why Africa plays a vital role in the energy transition, globally and how governments in Africa can work to influence monetary policy, legislation and taxation in order to provide certainty to investors who want to invest in Africa.

Karen Taylor has been involved in promoting African trade and investment since 2014.

In this video interview, among other topics, Karen shares in-depth insights into Pan-African supply chains, progress on the financing of COVID-19 vaccines for Africans, an overview of the political unrest and economic factors which may be affecting investor confidence, and Africa’s role in tackling climate change through renewable and clean energy. Karen describes the success of the Inter-Africa Trade Fair event, which took place in November 2021 and attracted more than 11,000 trade visitors to Durban.

Partner with PwC Nigeria, Esiri Agbeyi, shares her thoughts on foreign direct investment reaching the West Africa region, how the Africa Continental free trade agreement will increase investment significantly with the continent, which in turn will improve inter-trade within Africa and have a positive impact on GDP.

Esiri also reflects on the significant contributions made by West African family businesses and the private sector to eradicate COVID-19 in 2021, alongside the rise in philanthropy in the region during this period, although the pandemic is still taking a toll on the continent with access to vaccinations being a major problem.

Country Director in Nigeria for the Common Wealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), Obinna Anyanwu provides a succinct overview of the challenges and opportunities facing the West African region, with a clear focus on Nigeria.

He reflects on how border closures and travel restrictions caused by the pandemic have affected African economies but also encouraged a focus on inter-Africa trade. Obinna describes the efforts made by the private sector to support the Nigerian government in its ‘Coalition Against COVID’ or ‘CA COVID’, and what Governments can do to provide an enabling environment for investors.

Frank is the EY Parthenon and Eastern Africa Markets Leader responsible for leading the firm’s strategic growth in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia in line with EY’s significant investment plan and growth ambitions.

Watch his roundup interview for his views on East Africa’s ‘recovery story’ which describes how economically diverse countries will excel, how government fiscal stimulus packages have impacted the investment behaviours of family businesses and large corporates, and what more African governments can do to secure inward investment in the future in line with the AfCFTA. Frank also explores some recent findings from EY’s Africa Attractiveness Report.

Daniel Ngumy is a Partner at ALN Kenya, Anjarwalla & Khanna and heads the firm’s Tax department. He specialises in regional and international tax law and has extensive experience in tax disputes and tax transactional matters.

In this roundup interview, Daniel describes the challenges and trends affecting financial services and international businesses working with Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Uganda. He describes the challenges faced within the region and issues affecting inward investment behaviour such as the oil crisis in Ethiopia, domestic debt issues, and shares his views on implementing tax regimes and reducing bureaucracy in order to continue to attract investors.