Infrastructure constraints, labour disputes, funding uncertainty and inflation remain the biggest inhibitors of Africa’s growth. According to James Fungai Maposa, consulting manager industrial for research house Frost & Sullivan, although the continent is poised for strong growth, the lack of transport, energy and water infrastructure has to be addressed first. “Unrest and shortages of labour as well as the continent’s heavy reliance on donor funding for critical economic expansion projects are all concerns,” he said. “A few nations such as South Africa, Nigeria, Rwanda and to a certain extent Kenya have opted to take a proactive approach, announcing sizeable infrastructure spends over the next few years. South Africa leads from the front with regard to its planned expenditure on increasing its power infrastructure.
