Banking the Gold Coast: Investing in Ghana’s Booming Banks

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I believe one of the best ways to tap into Africa’s high-growth economies without exposing yourself to excessive risk is by investing in a well-managed, local bank. African banks’ operations are generally easy to understand. Their balance sheets are refreshingly free of exotic derivatives. For the most part, they simply take in deposits and make loans. It’s banking at its simplest.

Ghana’s banks have enjoyed a purple patch in recent years due to a combination of rapid economic growth and tight fiscal policy. The government expects to post 9.4% economic growth this year thanks to oil revenues – making it one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

So, which banks are providing the capital for this remarkable expansion? Here is a roundup of the most prominent ones listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange.

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How to Invest on the Botswana Stock Exchange

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As one of Africa’s most politically stable and economically successful countries, Botswana provides an excellent place for investors to make their first foray into the continent.

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Gems of the Kalahari: Two Botswana Small-Caps Poised for Big 2012 Returns

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A few small-cap African stocks posted big returns in 2011. That’s all fine and good. But investing is all about predicting future gains – not admiring past ones.

Where should investors be looking for stellar performance in 2012? I’ve been strolling through the Sub-Saharan markets and am putting together a few ideas. Here are a couple intriguing opportunities on the Botswana Stock Exchange.

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How to Invest on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange

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Last week, we took a look at sub-Saharan Africa’s top-performing stocks of 2011. Zimbabwean firms dominated the list. In light of this, I thought it might be helpful to run through the details of actually buying and selling stock on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.

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The 10 Best-Performing African Stocks of 2011

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It’s been a tough year for Africa investors. Most sub-Saharan indexes are in the red and some have dramatically underperformed the S&P500. But a handful of frontier listings managed to buck the trend.

Here’s a list of Africa’s top-performing stocks year-to-date.

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Three Innovative (and Profitable) Kenyan Banks

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This guest post is by Michael Abrahams, General Partner of the New Markets Financial Fund, L.P. While Kenya’s safari and ecotours remain more popular, banking tours may soon catch up. I’ve just returned from a self-guided tour of that country’s banks and came away impressed by the innovation, social impact, [...]

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Orca Exploration: A Big Fish in East African Energy

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Tanzania’s rapidly growing economy is hungry for electricity. Energy demand is propelled by a booming mining sector and pro-business policy reform, but a long-running drought has slashed output from the nation’s hydro dams. Consequently, blackouts in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, are now commonplace, dramatically increasing the cost of [...]

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5 Essential (Free!) News Sites for Africa Investors

Successful investing requires good information. Last month, we highlighted a few places to find annual reports and financial statements for African companies. Now let’s look at some (free) resources that provide superior, continent-wide coverage of market trends. The following five sites have become staples of my media diet. Reuters Africa [...]

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Africa’s Credit Ratings

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Since the US credit downgrade is on many folks’ minds this weekend, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some African countries’ credit ratings. Green ratings indicate an “investment grade” rating. Orange is “non-investment grade” or “speculative.” A “highly speculative” rating is red. For more background [...]

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How to Invest in Kenyan Stocks

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**Feature photo by Mutua Matheka** Back in June, we looked at ways to invest on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange through US discount brokers. Some intrepid readers may now be wondering how to buy shares on Africa’s smaller stock markets. Samuel Gichohi is a Senior Research Analyst at NIC Securities, a [...]

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