The Four Africas: Nigeria – The Unstoppable Super Eagle

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – It is a results-driven world we live in, like it or not. And the rules are simple, occasionally ruthless, but invariably bottom-line. Whenever international financial institutions or global marketing giants look to invest their capital, manpower and technology in a new market, they invariably ask one question: Are the fundamentals sound? If the answer is “yes,” they continue. They set down roots. And they often use that nation as a base-point to expand their franchise to neighboring countries.

In the Africa of the Sub-Sahara, there are four countries that the EU, the US and the BRICS nations have been looking to for solid partnerships. And after a quick scan of their political, economic and demographic profiles one can arguably arrive at three out of the four choices: Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya—due to their industrial dynamism, business friendly profile and youthful demographic—are logical linchpins for lower half of the continent. Ethiopia may seem to be on the bubble (and other “comers” like Botswana and Ghana can certainly make a case). But somehow—when it comes to anchoring everything from the African Union to modernizing its infrastructure—the longstanding Lion of Abyssinia always seems to rise to the occasion.

Collectively these four “anchor states” account for $1.4 Trillion of Africa’s estimated total $2.8 Trillion GDP (or approximately 47% of its wealth). They represent roughly 376 million (or 35%) of Africa’s 1.1 billion inhabitants. And yet they take up less than 5% of the continent’s total land mass. And for the next four issues, we’re going to focus on each of them in a bit more depth.

For that we begin with Nigeria—the unstoppable, bipolar, mercurial, paradoxical, economic engine—that constantly confounds and perplexes us yet forever fills us with hope.

“Nigeria: Despite the fluctuations, it’s “Too Big to Fail.”

An extract from Africa’s Insurance Markets Uncovered. To read more please download by clicking: INTO AFRICA PUBLICATION: MAY 2017 EDITION.

Contributors’ Profiles:
Mark Byron is a successful start-up entrepreneur and investment director in the complicated world of finance who has mastered a unique ability to leverage current market trends and meld them into emerging markets. As Co-Founder of Barton-Heyman, Ltd. A company with business partnership in the U.K. and Sub-Sahara Africa of London and Lagos, Nigeria,, Mark heads a group of experienced professionals who have come together to form a financial vanguard in African markets. For that reason he has developed a unique strategy and laid it all out in this ground-breaking book, Africa Arrives! as an exceptional guide for both experienced entrepreneurs and savvy investors looking for leverage in new markets. In it, you’ll learn how to navigate the intricate currents of the 54 nations in what every financial expert has predicted will be the world’s hottest market for the next 50 years. If you are looking to Africa to invest, start up a new business, co-venture or make connections Africa Arrives! is a great place to start.

Robert Joseph Ahola is an author, playwright, producer and director who lives in Malibu, California. As CEO of Galahad Films, Robert has authored 14 published and/or produced plays, including Pavlov’s Cats, Judas Agonistes, The Ghost and Josh Gibson, and NARCISSUS: The Last Days of Lord Byron. An environmental activist and world traveler, Robert is the author of twenty-two published books including The Silent Healer, The Return of the Hummingbird Wizard, and I, Dragon. Africa Arrives, co-authored with Mark Byron, is his tenth work of non-fiction.