Freight and shipping companies looking for growth will be focusing on Africa outside of South Africa as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook 2014 report continues to paint a rosy picture of prospects in the rest of the continent. In sub-Saharan Africa, growth is expected to increase from 4.9% in 2013 to 5% in 2014–15. Growth in South Africa is projected to improve “only modestly as the result of stronger external demand,” from 1.9% in 2013 to 2.3% in 2014 it says. South Africa suffered “continued deceleration” of the economy in 2013 due to “tense industrial relations in the mining sector, tight electricity supply, anaemic private investment, and weak consumer and investor confidence.” Other African countries expected to experience strong growth include Nigeria, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger and Mozambique.
