Will capitalism be the way to drag the African Continent into the 21st centuryA new breed of entrepreneurs are forging a path in away not seen before by native Africans

With conditions reminiscent of the Wild West, Indiana Jones would be very much at home in this environment. The investment bankers need to swap the business suits for the safari suits as they tackle the investing worlds final frontier. Privative conditions on the ground make China and other typical third world countries look positively prosperous by comparison. The roads are usually unpaved and clogged. Fuel is scarce, and rolling blackouts common. The medical precautions are even more challenging with Mosquito-infested interiors which require multiple injections and constant antimalarial pills. Then there are the local dialects and other language differences to conquer ?

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DesD () Newbie | 2007-12-09 14:51:13 to make progress - there needs to be people with vision who can move the continent forwards - over the past few hundred years the continent has moved in a number of cycles - the early European explorers saw huge potential in Africa in th e18th and 19th centuries and colonised large parts - then the pendulum swung the other way and the latter part of the 20th century saw a big swing back to local africans running their own countries - but it doesn't seem to have worked - maybe the opportunity to make money will drive progress Reply | Quote 0   0

Art () Newbie | 2007-12-09 14:53:45 when you look across the continent, the whole place is pretty much a basket case - after the Europeans left , it all went backwards very quickly - so what does that tell you ? Reply | Quote 0   0

Tess () Newbie | 2007-12-09 15:00:43 but not in South Africa where there was a big white and asian population - if you take away the natural disasters, whats wrong with letting the Africans live in the traditional way - a lot less stress and less need to create more pollution causing industries - give help which developes a more sustainable existance based on a traditional lifestyle Reply | Quote 0   0

Ali () Newbie | 2007-12-09 15:05:58 I don't want to go down the racial track - but it seems pretty obvious that the white and asian population in South Africa ran a better system and even tho' it's majority black now, it's all based on the system set up by the previous regime - Zimbabwe for example had a good system in place when the whites governed - it was the best country in africa - look at it now Reply | Quote 0   0

DesD () Newbie | 2007-12-09 15:12:09 anyway, we are getting off the point - can we make good money by investing in some of these high risk - high return projects which are happening over there - to my mind its all too risky - I won't be putting any of my cash on the line - but I'll bet that there are plenty who will !! Reply | Quote 0   0

bill (73) Senior board member | 2007-12-09 16:41:26 the only constant is change and there is plenty of it in Africa plus the Chinese connection is thrown into the mixing pot as they continue to develope trading and political connections - there was an article on this site a few days ago about a China car company setting up a manufacturing plant in one of the African countries - Etheopia ? was it ?? any way always fun and games - check out the attcahed article http://au.biz.yahoo.com/071209/33/1iwbn.html Reply | Quote 0   0

Arry () Newbie | 2007-12-09 20:06:43 Africa is a big place and they got a lot of potential thats not been tapped - oil, coal, minerals, cheap labour and its close to Europe - if theres money to be made - there be the sharp operators trying to get a piece of the action. it looks like a hard job to me - but probably big money to the ones who get it right Reply | Quote 0   0

Jonno (92) Senior board member | 2007-12-10 04:10:41 http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10273503 topical at the moment - check out the attached article - as the Europeans wrestle with how to do business with Africa - faced with the Chinese being ever more aggressive in the push to set up industry and cultivate influence - and the Europeans can't even agree amongst themselves - so what chance a united front ? Reply | Quote 0   0

Abbey () Newbie | 2007-12-10 04:15:05 not all mosquito's and mud - this article looks at a different Africa - it's a big place so I guess that there will be a lot of opposite stories http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8TE75OG1.htm Reply | Quote 0   0

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