7 key hurdles to take when investing in East Africa

Posted on June 27, 2013 by admin

By Tim Weiss on June 26, 2013

In a series of articles on VC4Africa, Tim Weiss explores private equity investment challenges in East Africa.

When investing, it is important to be aware of context-specific hurdles. Although investing is a risky business anywhere in the world, each market has its own characteristics. Below I’ll discuss 7 key hurdles to take when you are investing in East Africa, based on recent interviews I had with 22 representatives of (social) equity investment funds, consultancy companies, online news platforms and development finance institutions (DFI) focused on East Africa.

Somaliland: Solar Powered Bulbs Light Darkened Homesteads

Posted on June 20, 2013 by admin

By: Yusuf M Hasan

HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – Residents of some rural and urban communities in Somaliland are now utilizing

solar power as their main and only source of electricity.

According to Ms Asha Khalid 37, thanks to the portable solar bulbs sold by Guul Group-GG her 12 years son Master Hussein who is a 5th grade pupil can now do his homework at ease thus an improvement in his academic grades.

Hussein Adan who is one of the brightest students in Obsiye, used to struggle with studies in his darkened home due to lack of sufficient light as he mostly relied on the one kerosene lamp the family owned thus in great demand, but after his parents brought home the GG supplied solar bulbs things have improved rapidly for him especially at school.

A guide in Africa

Posted on March 1, 2013 by admin

Why investors in frontier markets need someone to show them around

CARDBOARD BOXES are not sexy. But they are useful: imagine trying to shift a lorryload of eggs from farm to shop without packaging. Because boxes make it easier to move things around, they allow shops to stock a wider variety of goods at lower prices. So to run a cardboard-box factory in Africa is to put more and better food on African plates.

The Riley Packaging plant in Uganda is quite a sight. From wall to wall and floor to ceiling, it is crammed with vast rolls of paper. A visitor feels like an ant gazing at stacks of toilet rolls. A management consultant might ask: why does Riley need to keep so much inventory—three months’ worth—heaped idly on the floor? Surely there are better uses for the firm’s capital?

Doing business with Africa

Posted on February 5, 2013 by admin

With heightening interest in African investment opportunities, former negative perceptions of the continent are only just beginning to break.

http://bnmagazine.co.uk/index.php/2013/02/01/doing-business-with-africa/

Attracting foreign investors – Residential and commercial real estate booms in Hargeisa

Posted on January 26, 2013 by admin

Despite the investment opportunities, many international investors remain hesitant to enter a market that has witnessed instability for so many years. But for local investors, construction is the safest and best proven way to make a profit, said real estate agent Nassir Hussein.

“You see we do not have Citibank or Barclays and the only safe venture for locals to invest in is land and property,” he told Sabahi.

Ahmed Abdi, an economist who teaches at the University of Hargeisa, says Somaliland provides a multitude of opportunities for any foreign investor armed with the right information.

HAPPY, HEALTHY & WEALTHY 2013 from GUUL GROUP

Posted on January 3, 2013 by admin

www.guulgroup.com — Guul Group: HAPPY HEALTHY WEALTHY 2013

Wishing you all a HAPPY, HEALTHY & WEALTHY 2013. #GuulGroup. #investment opportunities; #Somaliland & potentially #HornOfAfrica #business

Somaliland administration to simplify business regulations

Posted on January 2, 2013 by admin

Merchants display their wares in Wahen Market in Somaliland's Gaan Libah district. The Somaliland administration is working to make it easier for entrepreneurs to start businesses there. [Barkhad Dahir/Sabahi] The Somaliland administration is working to simplify policies governing investment and business creation as part of its efforts to strengthen trade and attract foreign and local investors.

The Somaliland Investment Guide, developed in partnership with the Somaliland Ministry of Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, will be a clearinghouse of economic, legal, regulatory and investment information for local, diaspora and foreign investors.

“We will create a website to collect information about investment, available opportunities, where to invest and pertinent information so foreign and diaspora investors and citizens can easily obtain information to help them make decisions any time,” said Mohamed Saleban, director of planning and statistics at the Somaliland Ministry of Commerce.

Business Survey Shows Surge in Investment in Somaliland

Posted on December 29, 2012 by admin

The 2012 Business Confidence Survey, released this week, shows that investment in medium‐sized enterprises more than doubled between 2011 and 2012. The Somaliland Ministry of Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture conducted the survey with USAID support.

“This year’s survey shows that businesses and investors are becoming more confident in the economy,” said Somaliland Minister of Commerce Honorable Abdirizak Ahmed Khalif. “We expect that their confidence will continue to grow and that investment will continue to increase.”

Investors ready to pump billions of dollars into calm Somaliland

Posted on December 10, 2012 by admin

www.guulgroup.com Guul Group (GG) is operating or investing with a diverse number of companies from different industries as part of its varied and growing portfolio across Somaliland and potentially the Horn of Africa. The company is both dynamic and entrepreneurial; purposefully pursuing emerging markets with an emphasis on innovation, growth and ethos. A business that invests, continuously seeks investment opportunities, provides forward thinking services whilst striving to ensure that there is a great push for Corporate Social Responsibility. GG provides investment opportunities with the aim of bringing and working with foreign investment and strategic alliance partners on projects in Somaliland and potentially other Horn of Africa markets, which earn considerable/realistic profits for the investors through investments and projects that have a substantial potential return on investment (ROI). We are constantly looking for new ideas, opportunities and partnerships, please get in touch: growth@guulgroup.com.

Somaliland: oil first, recognition later

Posted on December 3, 2012 by admin

It’s not a country recognised by anyone other than its own government, but that doesn’t seem to phase three oil companies scaling up exploration in Somaliland.

UK-listed Genel Energy and Ophir Energy, and Australia-listed Jacka Resources, are starting to explore for oil in earnest in the breakaway state, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991.

“We are embarking on the largest and most significant exploration this country has seen since it became independent 21 years ago,” oil minister Hussein Abdi Dualeh told beyondbrics from an oil conference in South Africa, hopeful the first drilling will start in 2014 following seismic surveys this year. “They are starting in a major way – it’s going to be a massive year.”