Nigeria, four others account for 50% African external flows
MAY 28, 2013
The African Development Bank has said that Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Democratic Republic of Congo account for 50 per cent of total external financial flows to Africa.
According to the AfDB, total external financial flows to Africa include foreign direct investment, portfolio investment, official development assistance and remittances, which are projected to reach $203.9bn in 2013, above a record high of $186.3bn in 2012.
A report released by AfDB on Monday said FDIs in Africa were set to rise by more than 10 per cent in 2013, approaching its 2008 record high, with the fast-growing sub-Saharan region likely to receive the majority of inflows.
The report added that investment inflows were set to remain narrowly focused on the major economies of South Africa, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt and Morocco, with the rest of the continent still heavily dependent on aid.
“Five countries account for more than 50 per cent of total external flows – Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and DRC. In contrast, half of African countries rely on aid as the largest external source of finance for development needs,” it stated.
The AfDB said Africa’s economy would grow by 4.8 per cent in 2013 and 5.3 per cent in 2014, led by West African commodity exporters such as Nigeria, Ghana and Ivory Coast.
But it said a weaker global economy and a prolonged crisis in the euro zone could reduce commodity export earnings, overseas aid, migrant remittances and FDI inflows.
“Africa’s economic prospects depend on global and domestic factors, which are highly uncertain. According to estimates, a one percentage point decline of Gross Domestic Product in OECD member countries causes African GDP to decline by about 0.5 per cent and Africa’s export earnings by about 10 per cent,” it said.
Total external financial flows to Africa, including FDI, portfolio investment, official development assistance and remittances are projected to reach $203.9bn in 2013, above a record high of $186.3bn in 2012.
Portfolio investment is forecast to increase 30 per cent to $26.2bn in 2013, eclipsing the pre-crisis peak of $22.5bn in 2006. South Africa and Nigeria accounted for 95 per cent of African portfolio flows in 2012, the report said.
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