01.02.2023

BMAW Austria Study

Study published for BMAW Austria on top countries and megatrends in Sub-Saharan Africa

Prof. Dr. Philipp von Carlowitz, the leader of the research group Doing Business in Africa at ESB Business School, Reutlingen University wrote a study on behalf of the BMAW Österreich (Federal Ministry Republic of Austria for Labour and Economy) on the topic "Top Länder und Megatrends in Subsahara Afrika" (Top countries and Megatrends in Sub-Sahara Africa).

Key results of the study are:
(1) Dynamic developments are observed across Sub-Sahara Africa due to a growing population, infrastructure backlog and a growing middle class.
(2) The infrastructure sector in Sub-Saharan African countries shows the highest dynamics, especially in the sectors of renewable energy, transportation, ICT, and waste management.
(3) Increasing efforts to establish nationwide basic health coverage (“Universal Health Coverage”), primarily through simple health centres and services, are beginning to create rising demand for medical technology and supplies.
(4) Rapid urbanization is putting pressure on cities to expand urban infrastructure leading to a development towards more smart cities, requiring high-tech products and services.
(5) Africa is facing environmental challenges, such as climate change, which lead to opportunities on two levels: a) prevention/mitigation measures of climate change, b) measures dealing with the effects of climate change. Opportunities here lie in the area of renewable energy, building a circular economy, and agricultural technologies.

The following countries were identified as focus countries from an Austrian perspective: Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal which are all characterized by good economic development, relatively high political stability, functioning institutions, and acceptable business conditions.