Africa

When Business Excellence last visited Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), the focus of the interview was the changes that Mozambique was undergoing. The company had just received financing from the World Bank and the European Investment Bank to the tune of $200 million and plans were being put in place to improve the energy links that existed between Mozambique and neighbouring countries like South Africa.

The recently re-elected president of Tanzania, John Magufuli stated in November 2020 that his government predicts economic growth of 8% for the country over the next five years.  This isn’t unreasonable given that the country’s GDP has grown by a CAGR of around 7% over the five years of Mr. Magufuli’s first mandate. Given that over half of the country’s export income comes from gold, the success of Shanta Gold is inextricably tied with the fortunes of Tanzania.

Business Excellence last visited the Kenyan Ports Authority (KPA) in June 2014, at a time when it was planning a second container terminal for Mombasa Port to further extend its capacity. Shortly after our feature, in August of that year, it agreed to a deal worth close to half a billion dollars with China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) for the construction of three new berths.

In 2017, the African country of Mozambique celebrates the proud landmark of 25 years of political stability and democracy. With stability has come significant progress on a number of levels. A recent indication of this was seen with the establishment of the Balama Graphite Project, some 300km west of the port city of Pemba.

It has been nearly seven years since Business Excellence first paid a visit to Coca-Cola Sabco Mozambique in Maputo back in 2003. At that time, the company had just entered its second decade in the east African republic. It had already undergone a journey with the country, which still viewed soft drinks as a luxury product because of price constraints.

With a coastline stretching over 2,000 kilometres, Mozambique, in southeast Africa, is home to some of the most stunning, preserved beaches in the world. Technically, this paradise should be more accessible than those in more popular tourist destinations like the Maldives and the Seychelles, but a historical lack of infrastructure has hindered progress on this front until now.

Regular readers of Business Excellence may recall our profile on Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) in South Africa back in 2013. TPT was, and remains, a central player in South Africa’s growing export-led economy. Indeed, since the time of the article, South Africa’s exports have almost doubled in volume, underlining the importance of TPT and its ilk to the ongoing success of the country.

When Anheuser-Busch InBev merged with South African Breweries (SAB) back in 2016, it was already the biggest brewer by volume in the world. As a result of the merger with SABMillerwhich is an integral part of the social fabric of South Africa, it was able to gain a foothold in Africa - widely regarded as the most prospective market in the world for beer sales.

The global seed industry is hugely important for human progress. Feeding the world’s population of 7 billion depends on a number of factors, one of which is the ready availability of seeds. Despite this, the industry is notorious for its high level of concentration, driven by a few large multinational firms and characterized by consolidation between them.

The exponential growth of Zambia’s mining industry over the past 25 years is as much a testament to the world class service providers in the country, as the country’s vast mineral reserves. One such service provider is Quattro, Zambia’s most respected transport provider to the country’s burgeoning mining industry.