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Top 10 African Countries For Business

16/04/2014

Recently, the World bank issued a new report on which they investigated how easy it is for companies to do business in a multitude of countries across the globe. Of course, the African continent was researched as well: read on to discover which African country is best for businesses!

Annually, the World Bank publishes a report called “Ease of Doing Business.” This report features an index that shows what impact government regulations have on domestic business.

With the report, the World Bank hopes to make countries aware of the fact that improving government regulations positively influences economic growth. Every year, the government regulations of 185 countries are assessed: AllAfrica has created a list of the top ten African countries in the index.

We have created an overview of these countries and added some convenient language info for you as well!

10. MOROCCO

According to AllAfrica, the biggest growth in the Moroccan economy can be found in information technology, telecoms, textile industries and tourism. In addition, for limited liability companies, it is now easier to start a business in the country than it was before.

textile exports morocco

Morocco has two official languages: Berber and Arabic. The latter houses a number of Moroccan dialects, which are called Darija. There are more languages spoken in the homes of the Moroccan population, but 89.8 per cent of all Moroccans have at least a little knowledge of the language. Furthermore, the French language is often used for governmental matters and international diplomacy.

9. ZAMBIA

Traditionally, Zambia was known for its agriculture and copper mining. However, the government is currently also turning its focus to tourism, gemstone mining and hydro-power. The “Ease of Doing Business” report of 2013 states that the new qualification requirements for both receivers and liquidators have helped the country to solidify its insolvency process.

miners in zambia

Zambia’s official language is English, which is also used as the language of instruction in the country’s schools. However, there are many local languages to be found as well: Nyanja is the main one, but the Zambian culture also features Bemba, Lozi and Tonga, to name a few. In fact, there are 73 different languages spoken in the country!

8. NAMIBIA

In Namibia, agriculture, mining, manufacturing and tourism are important sectors, AllAfrica states. The World Bank reports that it has become easier to get electricity in Namibia, but this positive note is soon followed by a negative one. Of all African countries, Namibia has seen the greatest fall in the index. It has dropped six places, making it the 87th easiest place to do business.

diamond factory namibia

As with Zambia, Namibia uses English as its official language. Half of the Namibian population speaks Oshiwambo as their first language, but the language that is understood by most people is Afrikaans. Other minority languages, that are all spoken by around ten per cent of the population, are Nama/Damara, Kavango and Otjiherero.

7. SEYCHELLES

For most people, first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the Seychelles is tourism. No wonder this is the main industry in the island kingdom! According to AllAfrica, other important sectors are farming, fishing and vanilla and coconut processing. The Seychelles rank 74th on the World Bank’s index, which means the country has climbed two places since the 2012 report.

women dancing in seychelles

As everybody living on the Seychelles has once immigrated to the islands, it comes as no surprise that there is more than one official language in the country. French, English and Seychellois Creole are all regarded as official languages on the islands. The last one, Seychellois Creole, is based on the French language.

6. GHANA

AllAfrica reveals that Ghana is quite the player when it comes to export: among the export products of the country are industrial minerals, cocoa and gold, to name a few. The economy in the country also relies on tourism, retail and oil production, for example. Ghana ranks 64th on the World Bank’s index.

oil rig ghana

English is the official language in Ghana and is spoken by 90 per cent of all its inhabitants. However, three-quarters of the Ghanaians also speak Akan or Twi, and all people in the country speak one of the Niger-Congo languages, for example Senufo or Kwa.

5. BOTSWANA

According to AllAfrica, the growth rate per capita in Botswana is among the fastest growing ones in the world since the country’s independence. The Botswana economy is driven by diamond and precious metal mining, but the government is working hard to improve other industries as well. This probably explains why the World Bank report reveals importing and exporting to and from the country now occurs at a faster rate.

mining in botswana

Even though English is the official language in Botswana, many of the country’s inhabitants speak Setswana, a Bantu language that belongs to the Niger-Congo language family. Afrikaans, Kalanga, Sarwa and Ndebele are also spoken by the Botswana people.

4. RWANDA

The tourism sector in Rwanda, which AllAfrica says also goes by the name of the “Singapore of Africa,” is one of the fastest growing industries in the country. The country has been involved in a civil war for almost a decade, but this has not affected the economy of the business climate: Rwanda has the 52nd spot on the World Bank index.

tea picker in rwanda

Rwanda has three official languages: French, English and Kinyarwanda, the latter being the most widely spoken one. Kinyarwanda is the language of government, while English is used as the language of instruction in schools. In addition, Swahili is spoken by many Rwandese as well.

3. TUNISIA

AllAfrica states that the West-African country of Tunisia has a very diverse economy: tourism, agriculture and petroleum products are all very important to the economy, for example. In 2009, Tunisia was crowned the most competitive African Economy. However, the country dropped five places on the index this year and now ranks 50th.

factory workers in tunisia

The official language spoken in Tunisia is Arabic, but most Tunisians speak a local version of the language in their daily lives, called Tunisian Arabic of Derja. The French language has no official status in the country, but is often used in the press, business and education. In fact, about 64 per cent of all Tunisians spoke the language in 2010. A smaller part of the population speakers Italian and Shelha, a Berber Language.

2. SOUTH AFRICA

The most important sectors in the South African economy, AllAfrica says, are auto manufacturing, information and communication technology development, mining and tourism. The World Bank states that South Africa is always modernising its customs, which has resulted in a decrease of the time and documents needed to export and import.

car plant in south africa

South Africa is the home of eleven different official languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu. Of these language, Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans are most widely spoken, even though English is used as the language of commerce and science. The South African government also recognises a number of unofficial languages, for example Fanagalo and Phuthi, and speakers of European and Asian languages such as Portuguese and Hindi can be found in the country as well.

1. MAURITIUS

According to the World Bank, of all African Countries, Mauritius is the country in which doing business is easiest. The country, that ranks 19th on their index, traditionally relied on financial services, tourism, textiles and sugar, but has recently turned to information technology and renewable energy as well. The report stated that access to credit information has improved in the country and that property transfers are faster.

renewable energies in mauritius

In Mauritius, both the French and the English language are spoken, but the country’s constitution does not state an official language. However, English is used by the country’s Parliament and is usually regarded as being the official language. Most Mauritians speak both French and English. Moreover, they use Asian languages for religious matters and often have Creole as their mother tongue.

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