The New Investment Superpower Outflanking China and the U.S. in Africa
November 9th, 2024
Courtesy of the Wall Street Journal, a report on the UAE’s billions of dollars of investment into Africa’s mines, ports and other projects: Across the world, the U.S., China and Russia are rubbing up against each other as Beijing and Moscow try to establish a new international order. The tiny United Arab Emirates is looking closer […]
Read more »Dig, Baby, Dig: China Tightens Its Grip On The World’s Minerals
November 1st, 2024
Courtesy of The Economist, a look at how China is tightening its grip on the world’s minerals: To decarbonise the global economy and build the data centres needed for ever smarter artificial-intelligence models, the world will need lots of minerals. China wants first dibs. Last year its companies ploughed roughly $16bn into mines overseas, not including minority […]
Read more »Africa: Two Railroads, One Vision
October 10th, 2024
Via the Center for Strategic and International Studies, commentary on the two new African railway projects: There has been a lot of talk lately about trains in southern Africa. Driven in part by the race for critical minerals, the United States and China are seemingly backing rival railroads to secure access to 70 percent of […]
Read more »Zambia Sees Economic Growth at 13-Year High as Drought Eases
October 6th, 2024
Via Bloomberg, an article on Zambia’s economic growth forecast: Economic growth forecast for 2024 remains unchanged at 2.3% Dry spell is weighing on tax collections, public finances Zambia’s economy will probably grow at its fastest pace in 13 years in 2025 as it bounces back from the worst drought in more than a century. Gross domestic product […]
Read more »China and US Compete for Control to Transport African Critical Minerals
September 27th, 2024
Via The Africa Report, a look at the growing competition between China and US for control to transport African critical minerals: What’s really behind China’s $1bn renovation of the Tazara railway? On 4 September – on the sidelines of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing – Tanzania, Zambia and China signed an agreement to modernise the bi-national […]
Read more »Climate Change Is Stunting Africa’s Economic Growth
September 21st, 2024
Via Bloomberg, a look at the projected impact of climate change on Africa: Some countries are spending 9% of their GDP fighting extremes Adaptation will cost $30 billion to $50 billion yearly Climate change is causing weather extremes that have been costly for African economies, according to a report. Countries on the continent are losing […]
Read more »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.