UAE leads on M&A activity in Africa

UAE-based entities accounted for the largest share – a third – of mergers and acquisitions from the MENA region into sub-Saharan Africa in the last decade.

Morocco was second with a 24% share, followed by Egypt with 12%, according to the research by Thomson Reuters.

According to Nadim Najjar, MENA managing director at Thomson Reuters, the deal volumes between the two regions point to a broad economic development.

“Such trend is bolstering, over the long-term, the inter-regional economic ties where goods and capital are mutually serving the strategic interests of both region,” he said.

Between 2005 and the first nine months of this year, there were 119 merger and acquisitions deals made by MENA companies in sub-Saharan Africa, while sub-Saharan entities made 30 deals in the MENA region, according to the data.

South Africa accounted for 21 of the inward deals from MENA companies, followed by Sudan with 19, Ivory Coast with 11 and Nigeria with seven.

©2016 funds global mena

Related Articles