Economic Development

Next-generation Africa-GCC Business Ties in a Digital Economy

October 30, 2017

Africa

October 30, 2017

Africa
Melanie Noronha

Principal, Policy & insights

Melanie is a principal at Economist Impact. She has over ten years of experience delivering consulting and thought leadership projects to public, private and not-for-profit organisations. Based in Dubai, she leads the Middle East and Africa team on research across a range of sectors including food sustainability, recycling, renewable energy, fintech, trade and supply chains. She is a specialist in advanced recycling technologies and international trade. She is a seasoned moderator, having chaired numerous panel discussions and presented Economist Impact's research at global in-person and virtual conferences.

Before joining The Economist Group, she was a senior analyst at MEED Insight, a research and consulting firm serving Middle East and North Africa. At MEED, she developed expertise in bespoke market studies and financial modelling across a range of sectors spanning construction, finance, power and water, oil and gas, and renewable energy. She held previous posts at the Office of the Chief Economist at the Dubai International Financial Centre and at the San Francisco Center for Economic Development. Melanie has an MSc in International Strategy and Economics from the University of St Andrews and a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

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The report explores the perspectives of young entrepreneurs and investors in Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on building business relationships, identifying challenges to overcome and spotting opportunities that await. The report is based on extensive desk research and in-depth interviews with entrepreneurs and investors in Africa and the GCC, with a focus on millennials. The interviews were conducted between June and August 2017.

Africa’s middle class numbers more than 300m by some estimates. This increasingly affluent and aspirational young cohort is driving a consumption revolution across the continent, increasing demand for consumer goods, technology and services. In parallel, young business leaders in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are starting to look beyond the Middle East. As GCC startups mature and Gulf investors seek more fertile opportunities abroad, entrepreneurs and investors are starting to eye the value of business links—and expansion—to sub-Saharan Africa.

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