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• The economic outlook

  The International Monetary Fund’s most recent forecast for sub-Saharan Africa anticipates average growth of 5.5 percent in 2012. These projections are in line with the expectations of This Is Africa’s sentiment survey. Only two respondents anticipated growth of under 5 percent, with most predicting levels of 5.5-6 percent.

• The political outlook

  The Arab Spring may be the most important geopolitical shift since the end of the Cold War. Attention now turns to the construction of new orders, and the outcomes are far from clear. Survey respondents agreed that expectations are high and emerging governments need to respond to long pent-up demands.

• Tentative steps

  After many years of political isolation, there are hopes that moves towards a more open political sphere could improve Togo’s international relations

• POLITICS: On the Mend?

  The same family and political party have ruled Togo for the past 44 years. In 2005 president Faure Gnassingbé, the English speaking son of president-for-life Gnassingbé Eyadema, was elected in controversial circumstances upon his father’s death.

• Building momentum

  On the back of economic reforms, Togo’s once closed economy is starting toattract a growing number of international investors

• How to turn citizens into owners of national wealth

  On November 28 Anadarko Petroleum doubled the estimate of its massive Mozambique gas discovery. If this proves correct, Mozambique will become a major gas exporter and can expect a hefty windfall.

• The future of Africa’s agricultural sector

  The overall statistics on African agriculture are well known. It employs over 200 million people and in most countries provides the livelihood of approximately 70 percent of the population. Despite this, Africa has the greatest proportion of malnourished families. Even in countries with the greatest agricultural potential, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, up to 75 percent of the population is still undernourished.

• Africa needs flexible capital, as well as patient capital

  It is widely understood that Africa’s private sector requires a reliable supply of capital to grow, yet SMEs – vital to the continent’s economic growth story – continue to face significant hurdles to securing the financing they require.