All Countries and All Sectors

A resurgence in Nigeria’s banking sector has seen assets and profits recover to beat pre-crisis levels as wide-sweeping financial reforms improve the country’s investment image, although there are concerns the renaissance is vulnerable to shocks in the eurozone.

Driven in part by state spending on infrastructure, housing and social development projects, Saudi Arabia’s economy is set for a year of solid growth. Longer-term predictions, however, are factoring in the uncertain state of the global economy. According to a report issued in mid-January by Riyadh-based Jadwa Investments, Saudi Arabia’s GDP will rise in 2012, with growth forecast to be around 3%.

Following the arrival of global giant Walmart, 2011 will no doubt prove to be a game changing year for the retail market in South Africa. While competition is set to intensify dramatically as a result, South African retailers are nonetheless benefitting from a robust domestic market, thanks in part to new revenue opportunities through private labelling, online commerce and loyalty schemes.

With a major project backed by the World Bank getting under way and a sizeable budget allocated by the government, Papua New Guinea’s state-run coffee industry has significant potential for expansion in 2012.

A plan for Brunei Darussalam to become 60% self-sufficient in rice production by 2015 may at first glance seem an overly optimistic goal, but with a little assistance from several of the Sultanate’s neighbours, the country could be on the way to greater food security for its staple crop.

The telecommunications industry in Thailand is set for a busy year, with new 3G licences expected to be auctioned during the third quarter of 2012. At the same time, the sector’s regulator is working on a master plan that it plans to release in April.