FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Shanta Bryant Gyan (646) 290-8211; [email protected]
www.africainvestmenthorizons.com
Africa Investment Horizons
New film shows enormous investment opportunities where least
expected
NEW YORK, April 10 -- A new documentary, “AFRICA INVESTMENT HORIZONS”, premiering at
the New York Stock Exchange April 29, shows the tremendous gains being made in Africa’s
vibrant emerging markets and proves one surprising fact – that the highest rate of return on direct
investment is found on the continent most people think of as an economic wasteland.
With the current U.S. economic downturn, investors are looking for new markets. This one-hour
documentary, produced by Carol Pineau, director and producer of the award-winning documentary, Africa
Open for Business, shows that Africa may be the next untapped investment destination.
“AFRICA INVESTMENT HORIZONS” presents compelling narratives from international and African
business leaders on the tremendous potential of Africa’s emerging markets and how their investments
have succeeded beyond expectations despite the challenging business climate. Stories range from the
largest equity fund in Africa where the price of entry is $5-million, to a mutual fund in Ghana that has
averaged 60% annual returns and requires a minimum investment of about $55.
Big investors have been investing in Africa for more than a decade, but most have kept quiet about the
astonishing returns, preferring to keep the investing world’s final frontier to themselves – until now.
“Most people think of Africa as a region rife with wars, disease and poverty, but that is not the Africa of
today,” said Pineau, a journalist with more than a decade experience reporting on Africa for CNN and
other major media. “Today’s Africa is a continent with challenges, but it is a continent on the move and
an attractive investment destination. More important, investment may be the best means for addressing
Africa’s challenges.”
The film features the three major avenues for investment in Africa: capital markets, equity funds and
launching a business. The first half of the film shows a kaleidoscope of opportunities throughout the
continent, while later segments address the issues around investing, such as corruption, political risk,
currency devaluation, and the trade versus aid debate.
The film chronicles inspiring stories of dynamic and committed businesspeople working to create a new
economic future for Africa. Among the featured stories are two Ivy League educated Ghanaians who left
top jobs on Wall Street to return home. With $25-million from institutional investors, they walked into
the Ghana Stock Exchange and did what is now referred to as “the big bang” that put the exchange on the
map.
Also featured is the Governor of the Bank of Botswana, whose prudent management of her country’s vast
diamond income has not only resulted in one of the highest per capital savings rates in the world, but also
allowed the country to offer free education to all and anti-retroviral drugs to people living with
HIV/AIDS.
Africa boasts more than 20 stock exchanges and the some of the fastest growing economies. China,
Russia and India are investing heavily in the continent, and yielding impressive returns. Those returns
average 30 %, compared to 16 to 18 % in other developing countries.
“Typically, one gets high returns where there is little information and little competition,” Teresa Clarke
Ellis, Goldman Sachs’s Managing Director of Investment Banking explains in the film. “The capital
markets in Africa are a fraction of the size of the more developed markets,” continues Ellis. “However in
the last few years we’ve seen substantial returns outpacing those in the developed markets by a large
measure,” she adds.
Africa’s role as a major player in the global economic field is underscored by the fact that film production
funds were generated solely from African sources, including: Noah A. Samara, CEO of Worldspace;
Sasol; Coca-Cola Africa; Industrial Development Corporation; Trust Africa; and Open Society
Foundation for South Africa.
The NYSE event is sponsored by IBM’s Global Innovation Outlook and the African Development Bank.
After premiering in New York City, the film will be launched at the US Chamber of Commerce in
Washington on May 6 and the London Stock Exchange in mid-May. The documentary will be screened
throughout the U.S., Africa, Europe, and Asia, thanks in part to funding from USAID.
For more information and to view the preview, please visit www.africainvestmenthorizons.com
ABOUT DIRCTOR/PRODUCER CAROL PINEAU:
Carol Pineau is a journalist who has specialized in Africa for more than 10 years. Ms. Pineau’s
filmmaking has been hailed for showing a more balanced vision of Africa. She is the producer and
director of the award-winning documentary, Africa Open for Business, a groundbreaking film voted BBC
Documentary of the Year. The film was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival, World Economic
Forum, US Congress, and other top venues. It aired on BBC World and public television stations in the
US. She recently directed and produced Kenya Stories, a film on Kenya’s aspiring young entrepreneurs.
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