|
|
|
|
The inevitable but overdue resignation of South African President Jacob Zuma last week was met with a universal sigh of relief. Zuma’s nearly 10-year tenure is seen by most in very negative terms. The South African economy has struggled to capitalise on its high level of industrialisation and strong banking sector. Corruption and cronyism was rife at the highest levels of government, undermining foreign investor confidence and leading to a damaging outflow of skilled professionals.
|
|
|
|
|
Little wonder then that the appointment of Cyril Ramaphosa as the new president has initiated a surge of optimism reflected in an immediate strengthening of the rand. As always in these situations, initial euphoria will quickly give way to a harder analysis of the problems the country faces. Unemployment is currently at around 30% and poverty, crime and inequality are rife.
Ramaphosa’s first job will be to restore faith in the country’s political system. If he can do that, foreign investment is likely to return and the South Africa’s credit rating may emerge from its junk status. He also has a job on his hands to unite his own party, the ANC, in the wake of the damage of the past decade and in advance of next year’s elections.
A revitalised South Africa would also be hugely beneficial to the wider continent. Rightly or wrongly, South Africa is often regarded as symbolic of the fortunes of Africa as a whole. The message sent by the country in the last decade will not have been well received by those in the wider world looking at Africa as the next big opportunity.
Guy Dunn
P.S. Here are a few articles on the situation in South Africa from EMIS last week.
|
|
|
|
SOUTH AFRICA'S NEW LEADER FACES HUGE CHALLENGES
ANC president and national Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will have to tackle major issues from rebuilding investor confidence to reviving the economy in the wake of Jacob Zuma's tremulous tenure.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
INDIA CONSTRUCTION SECTOR 2017/2021
Construction is the sixth-largest economic sector in India, accounting for 7.7% of the country’s GDP in FY2016. With a workforce of about 35mn people, it is also the second-biggest employer, preceded only by agriculture. Construction was the fourth-largest recipient of FDI over the FY2000-2017 period.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
CEIC DATA POINT OF THE WEEK
|
|
|
|
|
| |
CEIC Data is a sister company of EMIS and part of the Euromoney Data Division
|
|
EMERGING EUROPE M&A TOP DEALS IN 2017
Dealmakers were active across the region in 2017 as CEE enjoyed robust economic growth though fewer megadeals meant overall M&A values were lower than in 2016.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Below are the most read articles in the past week on EMIS Perspectives, our daily blog of emerging market news and insights.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EXIM THAILAND TARGETS 9% LENDING GROWTH FOR 2018
Export-Import Bank of Thailand (Exim Thailand) is aiming to increase its lending growth by 9% this year after the bank has seen its outstanding loans for investment in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) jump by 12% in 2017.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ABOUT EMIS
EMIS operates in and reports on countries where high reward goes hand-in-hand with high risk. We bring you time-sensitive, hard-to-get, relevant news, research and analytical data, peer comparisons and more for over 120 emerging markets.
|
| |
|
|
|
EMIS CHARTING TOOL
EMIS CHARTS uses selected data points from the subscription-based EMIS service, to provide you with an interactive overview of sectors, key players and macroeconomic trends across 120+ emerging markets and allows you to create your own charts.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
235 million
searchable archive
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2018 EMIS, all rights reserved.
|
|
|
|
