Investors should follow Africa’s diaspora in search of profits

Africans who fled the continent seeking their fortunes are beginning to return – attracted by new job opportunities and a thriving consumer market. Smart investors should follow them home, says Matthew Partridge.

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Over the past two years, Africa has been in the news for all the wrong reasons sadly, not an unusual situation for the continent.The ongoing fight against the terrorist group Boko Haram continues in Nigeria (and more than 200 girls remain missing). Last year's Ebola outbreak claimed more than 11,000 lives before it was brought under control and there are still reports of ongoing mini-outbreaks in Liberia. What's more, economic logic suggests that the collapse we've seen in both energy prices and commodities in general this year and last will devastate economies dominated by mining and oil production.

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Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri