Intra-African investment is crucial for the continent’s economic growth, yet figures are largely unknown and routinely ignored, often lumped in with figures on intra-African trade, which are more well-known, standing at between 10-12%. Sunil Benimadhu, CEO of the Mauritius Stock Exchange insists that the two must be kept distinct: “Both are key components of a country’s GDP and have a direct impact on economic growth.
They are each as important as the other but there is not enough emphasis on either.” Jean-Louis Ekra, President of the African Export Import Bank, agrees. “The current economic growth and development challenge is attributed to the low level of capital invesmtnst in Africa, especially during the 1970s and 1980s,” he says.
