South African companies are expanding their footprint to spread their risk and presence across the globe, according to the 2013 World Investment Report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad). It says foreign direct investment outflows from Africa nearly tripled to US$14 billion in 2012 from their 2011 level. This was mainly due to “large flows” from South Africa in mining, the wholesale sector and health-care products, it says. With $18 billion, South Africa was the fifth largest holder of FDI stock in Africa in 2011 and the second largest developing country investor globally after Malaysia. The largest share of the South Africa’s outward FDI stock in Africa is in Mauritius. One fourth of this stock is also concentrated in Nigeria, as well as in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
