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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The Main East African Business Opportunities

By Judy Sullivan


There is no doubt that the world is now a global village. What was thousands of miles away a few decades ago now seems to be just within our neighbourhoods, thanks to the advances in technology. Many formerly remote areas have now been opened up and are easily accessible. The African continent, for example, has asserted its place as a leading business partner. It is now a major importer and exporter of goods and services. The East Africa region is transforming rapidly. As an inspiring investor, there are many East African business opportunities that may interest you.

One of the major investment opportunities in East Africa is exploration of natural resources. The region has a lot of deposits of precious minerals. Many of these deposits remain undiscovered and those that have been discovered have not been fully explored. Setting up a company to explore these minerals would surely earn huge returns. Recently oil reserves have been demonstrated in some areas and this is likely to attract of attention from the business community.

Agriculture is arguably the main agricultural activity in the region. The main cash crops grown include tea, coffee and horticultural products. These crops coupled with animal products bring in huge earnings. There are many areas where an investor can plug in. One of the areas is the supply of inputs and equipment. Many of the farmers get credit facilities from financial institutions therefore will manage to pay for the supplies most of the time.

The purchase and resell of agricultural produce is another area that you may wish to consider. Although many of the farmers sell their produce to the governments for export, there are many more that are willing to deal with a different party. The produce is available at fairly affordable rates and can then be sold to earn good profits.

The tourism industry has blossomed for decades. Visitors are attracted to the region because of the varied and unique wildlife and the beautiful scenery. During some years, the number of annual guests approaches hundreds of thousands translating in huge earnings for the industry players. As a potential investor in this area, some opportunities that you need to consider include setting up travel agencies, hotel and hospitality facilities and tour guide companies.

There is a lot of enthusiasm for technology in Africa. Internet usage rates have soared over the last few years. Related to this increase is the increase in demand for computers, mobile phones and other electronics. If you put your money in technology, you most certainly will not be disappointed. All that you need to do is to research well to clearly identify your target clients.

Globalisation has resulted in extensive exchange of cultures among different people. Africans have adopted some foreign cultures and have in turn exported their own. One way in which this has been achieved is in the sale and purchase of clothing. As a business person you can sale clothes and shoes between Africa and the rest of the world.

There are numerous opportunities in East African business. You only need to understand the market and the forces that drive demand and supply. Conducting some form of research before investing will be a wise thing to do.




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