Archive for April, 2024

Middle East And North Africa At An Economic Crossroads

Via Global Finance, a look at whether Egypt and Morocco can keep driving the region’s economic growth?     North Africa is the fastest-growing region in the Arab world and Africa. In 2023, the combined gross domestic product of Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya increased by 4.2%, compared with only 1.6% for the […]

Read more »



Bahrain: Looking For Buy-In

Via Global Finance, an article on Bahrain’s big plans for development, but its geographic position is both a blessing and a curse:     Bahrain was once favored to be the leading financial center of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Dubai has since seized the title, and other jurisdictions in the region—including Abu Dhabi, […]

Read more »



Pakistan’s Big Speed Bump On Way To Aggressive EV Goals: An Engineer Shortage

Via Rest of World, a report on Pakistan’s plans to have 30% of all new vehicles sold to be electric by 2030. But there is a glaring lack of expertise in the country. Pakistan produces 25,000 new engineers each year, but companies say there is still an acute lack of skilled workers in the EV […]

Read more »



The Rare Earths Mine Becoming a Bellwether For U.S. Minerals Policy

Courtesy of The Financial Times, an article on U.S. attempts to challenge China’s global dominance in critical minerals: A site close to Kruger National Park in South Africa is becoming a testing ground for US attempts to fight China’s global dominance in critical minerals. Washington has committed to finance a little-known London-listed miner hoping to […]

Read more »



China-Africa Trade Gets Boost From Critical Minerals Needed for EV Battery Production

Via South China Morning Post, a report on China-Africa trade: The figures from China’s General Administration of Customs showed imports from Africa grew 8 per cent year on year to US$29.42 billion in the first quarter. This was boosted by a rise in imports of critical minerals, in particular metals used for electric vehicle (EV) battery […]

Read more »



Will Qatar Take A Bite of the Juicy, But Green, Nigerian Apple?

Via The Africa Report, a look at the possibility for Qatar to invest in Nigeria: With Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund at almost $500bn, Nigeria – which is in dire need of foreign direct investment to shore up its currency – is hoping the Gulf nation will throw some money its way. Just weeks after Egypt […]

Read more »


ABOUT
WILDCATS AND BLACK SHEEP
Wildcats & Black Sheep is a personal interest blog dedicated to the identification and evaluation of maverick investment opportunities arising in frontier - and, what some may consider to be, “rogue” or “black sheep” - markets around the world.

Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.