All Countries and All Sectors

Buoyed by high international mineral prices, Ghana’s mining sector continues to post solid growth, with revenues for gold, which remains the country’s biggest export, up by 28% last year. However, concerns are mounting that the government’s plans to overhaul the industry’s tax structure, including the introduction of a new windfall tax, could deter foreign investors.

Conscious that its economy is currently highly dependent on oil and closely tied to markets that continue to face economic uncertainty, Kuwait’s government is looking further afield to new investment destinations as well as to moves to stabilise oil prices.

Higher-than-forecast oil revenues should allow Oman to sustain economic growth for the rest of the year, as well as put its budget into the black. There is, however, a serious caveat. A weakening of global markets and any delays to the state’s efforts to strengthen its economic base could negatively impact year-end figures.

The Nigerian government has launched a series of initiatives to bolster its information and communications technology (ICT) sector. These efforts take the form of major investment programmes and partnerships to help the sector address some of the challenges that have been stifling its growth.

As Turkey wraps up the 2012 Istanbul Shopping Fest, all eyes are on the country’s retail sector, which has earned the distinction of being the nation’s largest employer. While the festival was, at least in part, designed to draw in foreign visitors, the domestic market has seen plenty of growth as well, especially in rapidly developing segments like e-commerce.

The central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), has moved to boost banking services in rural regions by lifting restrictions on the number of branches small lenders are allowed to operate, while trying to convince rural banks to merge to strengthen their capital base.