The team from Why Africa magazine, proudly sponsored by BME is travelling across Africa to collect information about businesses in African nations post Covid19. What will they find? Subscribe to keep up with the latest news from the team!

Originally posted in Why Africa Magazine | Article by Leon Louw

Covid-19 and subsequent restrictions to control the pandemic’s spread, have been devastating for the African continent. An unintended consequence of the calamity is that reliable, grassroots information about doing business in African countries, has been hard to come by.

To discover the story behind the story, we believe that there is no better way than to experience, and to be part of, the unfolding story. The impact of travel restrictions, lockdowns, border closures, Covid-19 mortalities, and different government strategies to contain the spread of the coronavirus, have all been devastating. It has adversely affected governments, businesses, and communities across Africa, from north to south, east to west.

Nevertheless, the continent is slowly moving forward, and with the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) most countries are about to enter the next 10 years with renewed vigour. For several reasons (including, in the most severe cases, silencing the media and journalists) stories about how businesses (big and small), governments, and communities in different African countries managed to survive, and in some cases thrive, have not been told.

That’s why WhyAfrica has decided to take to the road and find the real African stories.
Our goals on the 2022 WhyAfrica Southern Africa Overland Road trip are:

• To determine how business is coping in the aftermath of Covid-19;
• To report, in detail, about new projects and existing operations and developments in the mining, energy, agricultural, water, and infrastructure sectors;
• To look at Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues, conservation, and tourism, and how climate change will affect sustainability;
• To determine to what extent companies are prioritising environmental management and community development;
• The impact of governance, regulations, and politics on business decisions; and
• How the real, grassroots economies are coping and what opportunities are to be found in the informal sectors.

The beauty of it all is that you, as a reader and potential investor, benefit directly. We will bring you all the interviews, news, stories, and local gossip, but most of all, we will provide you with inside information about how new projects are progressing, how established companies are dealing with challenges, and what opportunities exist in these countries, especially with the implementation of AfCFTA.

This trip would not be possible without our dedicated sponsors and partners who all share an indelible love and passion for Africa and have established and developed extremely successful businesses and networks across the continent. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to
the following companies whose vision and goals align with what WhyAfrica hopes to achieve in Africa:

• Our gold and vehicle sponsor Remote Exploration Services (RES) who does spectacular work as a service company to exploration outfits across the continent
• Our premium sponsor BME who, as an explosive and blasting expert, has extensive experience in dealing with unique African challenges
• Our silver sponsors Minrom Consulting, Rham Equipment, law firm NSDV, Osino Resources and Antler Gold.
• WhyAfrica’s partners (who have been there from the very start) Release by Scatec, SRK Consulting, Kal Tire, Menar Holdings, NSDV, and Cable Technology