美国政府和商业界正在唤醒非洲的机遇。是时候了。这是两个地区的令人兴奋的发展投资者should take note as they evaluate the merits of dedicated exposure to Africa.
This newfound interest from the U.S. toward Africa is driven by three realizations: first, a growing concern that the U.S. is falling behind China; second, an understanding that Africa presents growth opportunities for selling U.S. goods and services; and third, an appreciation of Africa’s broader geopolitical significance for global security.
中国过去十年中，中国在非洲的作用增加了很多。这些数字是惊人的。自2000年以来，中国与非洲之间的贸易量增加了20倍，从100亿美元到2000亿美元。根据评级机构惠誉的估计，中国出口进口银行为35个非洲国家的基础设施项目提供了672亿美元 - 超过了世界银行在非洲的总投资组合。由看似无端的自然资源和较低的制造基地的欲望而推动，中国遍布整个大陆。在这样做时，中国正在帮助在大陆上建立大部分所需的基础设施。同时，中国受到批评for exploitative policies. U.S. engagement will likely have a different flavor to it.
非洲最近的经济绩效毫无疑问。在过去的十年中，经济增长平均在撒哈拉以南非洲第二最快的经济地区制作了5％以上。国家资产负债表状况良好。在历史背景下，通货膨胀相对较低。这种表现不仅将人们解除摆脱贫困，而且它还有助于将非洲的中产阶级扩大5％至6％。这种不断增长的消费类是美国消费品和服务的主要目标。从美国的大型跨国公司越来越大，如沃尔玛商店，IBM，微软和福特汽车公司，是非洲对美国商业日益吸引力的证据。美国的出口进口银行在过去五年中在过去五年中融资了非洲的更多交易，而不是在2014财政年度的前七个月内包括11亿美元。
非洲可能是全球冲突的下一阶段的关键区域。然而，非洲在过去三十年中肯定会对和平与民主做出重大步骤。大规模冲突的数量减少，最近electoral successes in Ghana, Kenya、塞拉利昂和其他国家表明democracy is indeed maturing. But the growing instability in Mali, northern Nigeria and Somalia has reminded the world that challenges remain. In 2007 the U.S. opened military command center AFRICOM, headquartered at the U.S. base in Stuttgart, Germany, which is charged with military relations and security cooperation with African nations and the continent’s surrounding waters. We should expect the U.S. military to have a larger presence in Africa in the years to come (see chart).
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资料来源：Investec Asset Management，司法研究所和和解
所有这一切都是从美国走向大陆的敏锐兴趣。但美国的未来会如何看待？
1. More significant private sectorinvolvement.Much of the recent U.S. engagement on the continent has been through development aid. At approximately $12 billion per year, the U.S. government has provided both general budgetary support to many African nations as well as funds for direct interventions in health, education, agriculture and other capital-starved areas of local economies. Going forward, however, we can expect less government and more business involvement.
Unlike China, for example, the U.S. will not be developing large infrastructure projects on the continent. Instead, it will seek to make it easier for U.S. corporations to sell goods and services and more broadly compete with other actors from China and elsewhere. This intention was made quite clear by then-senator (now secretary of State) John Kerry in January 2013, when he was speaking in his nomination hearing to become the head of the State Department before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:
China is all over Africa — I mean, all over Africa. And they’re buying up long-term contracts on minerals, on — you name it. And there are some places where we’re not in the game, folks. I mean, I hate to say it: We got to get in it, but it takes a little bit of resourcing. Believe me, somebody is paying for those folks to be over there; somebody is investing in their investment of time. And we have to be prepared because I think what we bring to the table is frankly a lot more attractive than what a lot of other countries bring to the table. People like to do business with American businesses. We’re open, we’re accountable, we have freedom of creativity and other kinds of things. And I think that if we can organize ourselves more effectively in this sector, we can win.
2.美国 - 非洲参与will be more focused.The U.S. government has made the expansion of power and electricity a key goal in Africa. The U.S. government’sPower Africa倡议具有实际潜力。三分之二的非洲人口无法获得电力，是经济增长和发展的基本成分。The Power Africa initiative seeks to combine the efforts of various U.S. governmental agencies — USAID, the Department of Commerce, the Overseas Private Investment Corp. and the Ex-Im Bank — as well as of major U.S. corporations to find solutions to the challenges facing the power sector in Africa, initially focusing on six key countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia,尼日利亚and Tanzania.
3.美国投资者社区将发挥更大的作用。The U.S. is home to one of the largest savings pools in the world, and Africa is the most capital-starved region in the world. There is a natural dynamic here that can be easily directed in a win-win manner. Africa-focused private equity firms have raised record levels of assets during the past decade, peaking in 2007 at $4.7 billion and remaining buoyant since. U.S. investors often incorrectly perceive the risk of investing in Africa and demand returns that are only possible in a few sectors, such as consumer goods. Instead, policymakers and投资者应该了解如何将这些节省的基础设施，权力和其他关键部门的有利可图和稳定的投资渠道渠道渠道，以实现大陆的广泛增长。
On August 5 and 6 President Barack Obama is hosting the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. This meeting will bring together Africa’s heads of state, as well as top CEOs from the U.S. and Africa, to discuss how the regions can work together more constructively.
Investec资产管理和美国商会将发布报告提供关于这种关系如何发展的观点的报告。投资者，政策制定者和商业领袖应该注意。
aniket shah是一家投资专家，拥有投资投资研究所，一部分Investec资产管理。
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