Multinational companies and governments around the world are increasingly looking to Africa as a new business destination. Africa's economy has grown at a rate of around 5.3% per year over the last decade and six of the world's ten fastest growing economies are located here. These countries have a fast-growing middle class that contributes to rapid urbanization that is increasing faster than their cities' infrastructure can keep up. It is a common misconception that many economies in Africa are heavily dependent on energy production. In reality, the oil and gas sector accounted for only 11% of Nigeria's GDP in 2014, while the construction sector accounted for 20%.
When considering doing business in Africa, it is not a matter of choosing just one country or all 54; a regional approach makes more sense. Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, refers to sub-Saharan countries such as Angola, Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria. Many companies already doing business in Africa are separating their operations in North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa due to the stark economic, linguistic and cultural differences between the two regions. Here are our top 5 African countries for doing business:
Mauritius Mauritius is known for offering an extremely favorable business environment for investment and business growth. The process of incorporating a company and starting new business activities in Mauritius is believed to be straightforward and relatively easy. Mauritius' economy is mainly based on textiles, tourism, sugar and financial services, although recently other sectors such as renewable energy and information technology are expanding rapidly. The World Bank ranked Mauritius 49th in its Doing Business 2017 ranking, largely due to its pro-business approach to dealing with building permits, enforcing contracts and protecting minority investors. Another ranking of African countries places Mauritius first based on factors such as law and security, economy, human development and human rights.
Rwanda Despite nearly a decade of Rwanda's civil war, the country's leaders and citizens alike have worked to achieve a healthy business climate and a strong overall economy. According to the World Bank, Rwanda is the second easiest place to do business in Africa and ranks 56th in the Doing Business ranking. This is because the procedures for registering a property, obtaining credit and trading across borders have been greatly simplified. Tourism is currently the fastest growing sector in Rwanda. According to our research, businesses can be incorporated and operating in as little as three days.
Botswana Since gaining independence, Botswana has had one of the fastest per capita economic growth rates in the world. As the government works to diversify the country's profitable industries, diamond and other precious metal mining is currently the main contributor to the country's economy. Recently, Botswana has managed to reduce the time it takes for various processes including import and export and business formation procedures. In addition, technological upgrades have reduced the average court length for commercial disputes to 625 days (from 987 days in 2008). Thanks to these improvements, Botswana ranks 71st in the World Bank's Doing Business 2017 ranking.
South Africa South Africa's key industries are automobile manufacturing, tourism, mining and information and communication technologies. South Africa has managed to simplify its import and export procedures, resulting in less time and fewer documents required. In addition, the South African authorities have simplified tax legislation, reducing the number of hours required to prepare tax reports. The World Bank ranked South Africa 74th for ease of doing business in 2017.
Kenya Another country to keep an eye on is Kenya, which is currently making huge investments in sectors such as telecom, transport and energy. With a tech-savvy workforce and high-speed internet, Kenya stands out as one of the top countries in Africa for tech startups, while its diversified economy, strong ownership rights, excellent tourism sector and improving infrastructure make it a great location for general start a new company. If you have further questions about company formation or banking in Africa. Please contact us now.
Prior to registering a company, make sure you are fully aware of the advantages and disadvantages of each option in the Middle East and nearby islands, such as Bahrain and Socotra (Yemen). Bahrain is currently flourishing as one of the most prosperous countries in the Middle East, offering international entrepreneurs and investors a receptive environment for setting up a business. For a foreign company in Bahrain, it is possible to incorporate a limited liability company (LLC), a partnership company or a branch of a foreign company. Qatar has many foreign companies operating within its borders, mostly in the oil, mining and engineering industries. However, Qatar is supportive of all foreign companies willing to invest and operate in its territory.
The most popular trading scenario with EU registered companies is the VAT triangulation system. Triangulation rules are specifically designed to make cross-border trade easier, so EU businesses don't have to register for a VAT number in every EU member state they ship goods to. Although triangulation is easy to understand, this trading model seems to be a significant source of misunderstanding for many business owners.
The first rule to keep in mind is that the model must include three companies registered in three different EU member states, each with their own VAT number. A company sells goods to another company, which then resells the same goods to the third company. However, the goods are transported directly from the first company to the last (third) company.
The logistics performance index of Serbia is 2.96. It indicates satisfactory performance - in general traffic is handled well, some shortcomings in certain areas are possible, but overall the logistics system is reliable and ready to handle predictable traffic volumes.
Customs performance is rated at 2.37. This indicates mediocre performance - although somewhat ineffective, clearing processes do not unduly discourage international business activity, occasionally fees and/or required documents can be unpredictable, long clearing times can also be an issue.
Infrastructure quality in Serbia is rated at 2.73. It indicates a satisfactory quality - roads, railways, ports and other facilities are capable of handling significant traffic at any time, and are also suitable for various types of transport vehicles and ships.
International broadcast quality is 3.12. It indicates satisfactory performance - the services are reasonable and the prices are not too high and usually correspond exactly to the quality, although there is still room for improvement.
The competence of logistics service providers is rated at 3.02. The providers are competent - they ensure a good quality of their services and almost always maintain this level; Deficiencies, while still possible, are usually minor and do not discourage further use by providers.
Tracking options for shipments are rated at 2.94. It indicates satisfactory performance - the tracking systems provide all the basic information, as well as additional data about shipments; Mostly it also has a well-established cooperation with foreign and international tracking systems and usually offers information in several languages.
Tracking options for shipments are rated at 3.55. This indicates satisfactory performance - most shipments arrive on time and within scheduled time frames; late arrivals are still possible, albeit uncommon.
In Serbia, 100% of the population has access to electricity. Serbia has 26 airports nationwide. There are 1,102,000 internet hosts in Serbia. The number of road vehicles per 1000 inhabitants in Serbia is 165.
Road network The total road length in Serbia is 44,248 km (27,500 miles). Of these, 620 km (385 miles) of roads are classified as freeways, dual carriageways, or freeways.
Gas price On average, one liter of petrol costs USD 1.55 in Serbia. A liter of diesel would cost $1.21.