Africa Economy

Gabon’s status as the sixth-largest crude oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa has helped the country achieve the second-highest per capita GDP in the region. While the country’s resource-dependent economy took a hit when global demand dropped during the financial crisis of 2008-09, recovery has been strong and growth has remained robust. The government has in recent years put a greater focus on...

Gabon has long been lauded on the global stage for its relative stability in a region that has, at many times over the past several decades, experienced significant political unrest. A member of both global and regional political and economic organisations, Gabon’s global engagement is closely linked to France, given its status as a former French colony. The country has a multi-party political...

This section features an article on the country’s footballers, plus helpful listings of hotels, useful contact details, and facts for first-time business and leisure travellers.

Egypt is the second-largest economy in the Arab World, with a GDP in excess of $229bn and a domestic market of 85m people. However, its performance over the past year has been turbulent, thanks to the significant political transformation the country has undergone. The complicated process has had broad macroeconomic consequences for Egypt, reducing capital inflows by roughly 75% in 2011 and...

This section provides an overview of Egypt’s geography, history, government, foreign relations, population and language, as well as a discussion of the most recent elections and some of the more prominent socioeconomic issues. The chapter includes a viewpoint from President Mohamed Morsy, along with interviews from William Hague, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; and...