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Daily News Egypt
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily News Egypt
Jeune Afrique names Egypt in top 3 of best-performing nations in Africa
Egypt, with an overall score of 49.91 out of 100, has secured a position within the top three best-performing countries in Africa, alongside Morocco (49.17), in a new exclusive ranking by Jeune Afrique. South Africa leads the list of 20 nations with an overall score of 64.79. The ranking was developed by the Jeune Afrique Media Group, through its Jeune Afrique Intelligence Unit, using a unique methodology focusing on governance, innovation, and influence. South Africa tops the ranking with a comfortable lead, its score driven by its industrial power, active diplomacy, high-quality infrastructure, innovation capacity, and an internationally recognised education system. The country ranks first in two of the three analysed dimensions: influence (contributing 16.92 points to its overall score) and innovation (contributing 19.53 points). Its governance dimension contributed 28.33 points. Egypt's second-place performance included a governance score of 23.33, an influence score of 12.04, and an innovation score of 14.53. Morocco, in third, received 27.50 for governance, 9.82 for influence, and 11.85 for innovation. The strategic overview, published by Jeune Afrique following its November list of the 30 most attractive African cities, aims to highlight countries building resilient development trajectories. 'This ranking highlights countries that, beyond short-term crises, are successfully building resilient development trajectories,' said Amir Ben Yahmed, CEO of Jeune Afrique Media Group. 'It's not just about measuring a country's wealth or size, but its ability to achieve sustainable performance across all dimensions.' Beyond the leading trio, the vitality of the anglophone bloc is confirmed, with Botswana (overall score 46.15, including a strong governance contribution of 36.67 points) positioned at 4th. Kenya followed at 5th (45.36), with Mauritius at 6th (43.75). Ethiopia ranked 7th (43.71), Tanzania 8th (43.56, with a governance score of 33.33), and Nigeria 9th (43.14, including an innovation contribution of 13.63 points). Some countries, like Kenya and Ethiopia, benefit from the performance of flagship companies (such as Safaricom and Ethiopian Airlines), a booming digital ecosystem, and a strong geostrategic role. Others, such as Mauritius (governance contribution 32.50) and Botswana, capitalise on institutional stability and economic attractiveness. On the Francophone side, the ranking surprises by the low representation of several economically significant countries. Algeria, for example, is ranked 19th with an overall score of 39.70 (governance 26.25, influence 5.42, innovation 8.04), and Mauritania does not appear in the top 20. After Mauritius, Côte d'Ivoire (10th, overall 42.72; governance 32.50, influence 3.24, innovation 6.97), Tunisia (12th, overall 42.44; governance 24.17, influence 7.30, innovation 10.97), and Senegal (13th, overall 41.39; governance 30.83, influence 4.90, innovation 5.65) achieve the highest scores among francophone countries. While these nations show strong performance in governance and innovation, their international influence still needs to be strengthened, according to the report. The ranking also gives prominence to island nations and low-population countries such as Namibia (15th, overall 40.90), Cape Verde (16th, overall 40.58), and Seychelles (17th, overall 39.91). Seychelles notably achieved the highest governance score in the ranking, contributing 37.08 points to its total. These relatively stable, democratic, and well-governed states leverage their image, diplomacy, and roles as tourism and financial hubs to maximise their influence. Departing from traditional GDP-centric approaches, Jeune Afrique's ranking offers a renewed analytical framework of the continent by deploying a broader methodology. This approach is structured around 25 indicators, grouped into three dimensions, with scores for each dimension weighted to contribute to an overall score out of 100:
Zawya
13-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
African presidents rally PPPs for growth
In AbidjanIn the face of global trade tensions and protectionist policies that threaten livelihoods and economic stability, leaders across Africa believe that reviving the relationship between governments and the continent's private sector could chart a new path to prosperity. At the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, on Monday, presidents and business leaders emphasised the need to re-evaluate this relationship to ensure sustained economic growth. This comes amid global trade tensions and protectionist policies, notably those stemming from the 'America First' agenda of US President Donald Trump, which have created uncertainty and reduced market access for African exporters. Amir Ben Yahmed, the CEO of Jeune Afrique Media Group, the organisers of the summit, said that the convention aims to foster dialogue between governments and the private sector on how they can collaborate more effectively to spur development on the continent.'We are in a world of uncertainty. With Trump in the White House, there's always a new decision that is different from the one the day before. So, our conviction here is that nations should rely more on the private sector,' said Mr Yahmed.'We are calling on the over 2,000 CEOs present here to invest more to help solve Africa's problems. And we want governments to build more efficient states. Governance is a key topic here.'Ethiopis Tafara, regional vice president for Africa at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – the event's co-host – said that although official development assistance is declining, it was never sufficient to bridge Africa's development gaps. This makes the private sector's role more critical than ever.'The only way to close the development gap in Africa is by mobilising private capital,' said Mr Tafara.'There is no shortage of private capital and no shortage of investors interested in African countries. Frequently, the challenge is finding bankable projects, with a proper allocation of benefits and risks between the public and private sectors.'Addressing the forum, Côte d'Ivoire's President Alassane Ouattara said that the current global economic uncertainty is affecting African economies, underscoring the need for renewed partnerships between governments and local businesses.'Africa is facing numerous issues, including reduced access to financing. In recent months, we've seen worsening challenges in the business environment, including supply chain disruptions, and the return to normalcy is slow,' Mr Ouattara noted. Rwanda's President Paul Kagame said Africa should not wait for major decisions by global powers such as the US before taking action.'We should have been building momentum towards making Africa self-reliant, resilient, and capable of forging effective partnerships with other continents and countries,' Mr Kagame said. Other leaders at the forum, including Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, Ghana's John Mahama and Senegal's Bassirou Diomaye Faye, also called for the private sector to play a more active role in driving the continent's growth. New US trade policies, particularly tariffs (currently paused for 90 days), are expected to negatively impact African economies, particularly smaller ones. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has warned that the least developed countries, despite contributing the least to the US trade deficit, are likely to bear the brunt of the economic fallout from these tariffs. At the forum, leaders also championed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is struggling to gain traction, as a potential game-changer and alternative market for African businesses, provided the public and private sectors align their efforts.'We would like the private sector to work hand-in-hand with the public sector to embrace AfCFTA and participate actively,' said President Ramaphosa. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
