Given its size and diversity, Africa has long been an investment destination and an attractive one for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with Qatar and Saudi Arabia buying farmland across the continent. A 2015 research by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), entitled Beyond Commodities: Gulf investors and the new Africa, commissioned by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has pointed out that the current trend is more towards foreign direct investment (FDI), moving away only from agro-businesses. The Edge’s Aparajita Mukherjee analyses the investment trends and opportunities for the GCC in Africa.
The push among GCC states to invest in Africa was driven more by necessity than choice following the 2007 to 2008 global food price crisis. In a region that is import dependent for 60 to 80 percent of its food requirements, the decision to invest was clearly a strategic one.
The GCC countries face the burden of a growing population, with growth of around 40 percent expected by 2030 over the 2010 figures. This means that they are faced with a food supply stretch coupled with prices that are exposed to geopolitical uncertainties and the vagaries of climate change.
Qatar, for instance, imports about 90 percent of its food requirements annually, and this is expected to increase 153 percent over the next decade as the population grows. This will undoubtedly make the country vulnerable to price fluctuations. To ward off against these, like other GCC nations primarily Saudi Arabia, Qatar has invested in land acquisitions in Africa, notably in Sudan and Kenya, among several other locations.
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8 Reasons For South Africans To Be Positive About Their Country
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The African frontier: Defining the paradigm from food security to FDI
Given its size and diversity, Africa has long been an investment destination and an attractive one for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with Qatar and Saudi Arabia buying farmland across the continent. A 2015 research by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), entitled Beyond Commodities: Gulf investors and the new Africa, commissioned by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has pointed out that the current trend is more towards foreign direct investment (FDI), moving away only from agro-businesses. The Edge’s Aparajita Mukherjee analyses the investment trends and opportunities for the GCC in Africa.
The push among GCC states to invest in Africa was driven more by necessity than choice following the 2007 to 2008 global food price crisis. In a region that is import dependent for 60 to 80 percent of its food requirements, the decision to invest was clearly a strategic one.
The GCC countries face the burden of a growing population, with growth of around 40 percent expected by 2030 over the 2010 figures. This means that they are faced with a food supply stretch coupled with prices that are exposed to geopolitical uncertainties and the vagaries of climate change.
Qatar, for instance, imports about 90 percent of its food requirements annually, and this is expected to increase 153 percent over the next decade as the population grows. This will undoubtedly make the country vulnerable to price fluctuations. To ward off against these, like other GCC nations primarily Saudi Arabia, Qatar has invested in land acquisitions in Africa, notably in Sudan and Kenya, among several other locations.
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Expat isolation and how to cope
How to deal with isolation as an expat
When you have to start your life from scratch in a foreign country where you potentially know no-one apart from your partner, where you are not familiar with the customs, where you don’t really know the location or even the neighbourhood, there is a very real danger that you will end up feeling extremely isolated.
This is especially true for accompanying partners because whilst your partner is out at work all day and has focus and motivation from the outset in your new life abroad, you’re the one at home dealing with the isolation and the newness of it all by yourself. And you know what? This can be scary, upsetting and of course, very lonely.
The unfamiliar
When you live somewhere familiar, ie home, there’s a lot you take for granted. Without even being aware of who they are or what role they play in your life the truth is there are so many familiar faces around you: whether it’s the person in the local petrol station or the shop attendants in the supermarket or the guy that walks his dog down your road – you may not know them but they’re familiar faces in a familiar place.
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Why a Human-Focused Workplace Is a Happier Workplace
A workplace that focuses on humanity is a powerful motivator and business driver. It calls for leaders that care about their employees’ well-being, happiness and success, and employees that feel recognized and appreciated for their contributions to a company.
These key practices and behaviors that inspire positive employee behavior and deliver improved business results, are the focus of a new employee survey from our WorkHuman Research Institute. The survey results provide a blueprint for workplace practices that deliver greater employee happiness and higher retention. In particular the survey highlights one crucial finding: companies on the vanguard of creating a more human workplace stand to reap significant rewards in terms of people metrics and return on investment.
To more successfully build the human workplace, employee recognition must be at the forefront. Surprisingly, our survey found that 40 percent of employees have not been recognized by their respective company leaders in the past month. That number is far too high. While employees seem happy at work, we know more is needed to better engage the workforce and produce a sense of well-being, trust, optimism, and confidence that can propel a company’s culture forward.
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