Rand Merchant Bank is a subsidiary of the FirstRand Bank, a South African firm involved in investment and corporate banking. Its financial services are highly sought and when it speaks about investing in Africa, everyone listens because the group always has its finger on the pulse and never misses a financial heartbeat. So, which are the best African countries to invest in? Of the 54 countries surveyed, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Kenya and Rwanda – in that order – top the list. The bottom of the ladder is occupied by Burundi, Somalia and Equatorial Guinea. South Sudan, at position 44, joins Burundi as the worst-performing members of the East African Community (EAC). Uganda and Tanzania come in 12th and 14th respectively. So what does one read in the RMB rankings as far as the EAC is concerned? Apart from the EAC facing the threats of a locust invasion, Burundi and South Sudan are playing in a different economic league altogether, so it would be advisable to advise them to shape up in order to keep up with the pace of the other member-states. But the way things stand at the moment, that will remain unlikely unless there is political will for the EAC to move as one and put security on top of the agenda. In fact, even though the RMB report predicts that Rwanda will maintain its growth momentum, the only risks it faces are two; its small population that translates into a small market and an external risk; the possibility of a spillover of political instability from the DRC and Burundi. But that last bit is also highly unlikely, and as like the Kinyarwanda adage goes; “ibuye ryabonetse ntiriba rikishe isuka”, approximately meaning: “Clear obstacles are easy to navigate”, or something to that effect.
