By Cordie Aziz
Africa, for the longest time, was thought of as a place where savages and wild beasts roamed endless plains and jungles. However, as time has advanced so has Africa and its image. Now boasting some of the fastest growing economies in the world, countries like Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya are outpacing many developed countries. Other African countries, like Ghana, are now considered middle class countries, illustrating to the world that many African countries are ready to start competing intenationally.
So in the midst of all of this development and economic growth you have to ask yourself why aren’t more African- Americans following the trends of investing in Africa. Is it lack of knowledge of the opportunities, is it the fear of moving into an unknown continent or is it just lack of interest?
If you had a chance to read the job analysis featured on HBCU Money last week, you saw that overall blacks are still losing jobs in the American economy. They, in fact, still boast the highest unemployment rate of all the races, despite their educational level. So, at what point, will African Americans decide to do something different? What will it take for African Americans to not only see the potential in Mother Africa, but to help actualize it as well?
From cell phone apps to grocery and dry cleaning services, every part of the African market is expanding. Each day new opportunities are created and all the market needs is the right person to fill the gap. So why continue to waste your time fighting for crumbs and you can have a whole pie?
If you are young and have a few thousand dollars accessible to you, I would strongly recommend looking into investing overseas. Yes, you will have to do your research and find the right opportunity for you. But once you do, it will be a decision that you will never regret.
So now that you have some basic information, tell me what is stopping you from looking at investments in Africa?
Cordie Aziz, is a former Congressional staffer who moved to Ghana after losing her job in 2011. She currently is the owner of a cell phone rental company in Ghana and has the blog brokEntrepreneur.wordpress.com
Follow her on twitter @brokenEntrepren