Frontier Markets · Africa
Amit·Jain
on Africa
Making sense of Africa's economy,
politics, and business.
— A. Jain —
Making sense of Africa's economy,
politics, and business.
Three decades in frontier markets — from newsroom to boardroom to classroom.
For more than thirty years, I have studied, reported on, and worked across frontier economies — India, the Gulf, and, for the past decade, sub-Saharan Africa.
As Former Director of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies at Nanyang Business School in Singapore, I led the only institution of its kind in Southeast Asia dedicated to rigorous, independent analysis of the African economy and its deepening ties to Asia.
My work sits at the intersection of geopolitics, trade, investment, and development. I write for business leaders, policymakers, and the merely curious — in a voice that takes Africa seriously as fifty-four distinct economies rather than a single abstraction.
I am based in Singapore and travel the continent often. What you will find here are the dispatches.
Dispatches on the forces reshaping Africa — by theme.
AI could add US$1 trillion to African GDP by 2035 — but the continent starts from a low base on broadband, data centres, and skills.
Read the essayA data-led look at foreign direct investment patterns across the continent, and why the headline numbers disguise a profound shift in where — and from whom — African capital is arriving.
Read the essayThe trade war has begun, and spectacularly so. For Africa, the direct hit may be modest — the US accounts for barely 5% of the continent's trade — but the second-order consequences are another matter.
Read the essayAfrican sovereigns pay more to borrow than nearly any other emerging market. The misperception of risk has cost the continent an estimated US$46 billion in forgone lending. With the launch of the Africa Credit Rating Agency, that era may be ending.
Read the essayLandlocked Ethiopia's pursuit of a port on the Red Sea is rattling the Horn. A reading of the stakes, the players, and what it means for Gulf–African trade.
Read the essayWhat the Gen-Z protests in Nairobi reveal about the quiet political revolution sweeping young urban Africa — and the fiscal bind confronting almost every government on the continent.
Read the essayIndependent counsel for institutions navigating frontier markets.
Country and sector reports built on primary research, official data, and a deep network of practitioners on the ground. Designed for investors, fund managers, and corporates who need ground-truth, not headlines.
Strategic counsel for governments, multilateral institutions, and development agencies on Africa-Asia engagement, trade corridors, and capital flows. Published work for Oxford Business Group, ORF, and others.
Executive education and training for institutions sending teams into African markets — from desk-based analysts to field operators. Customised seminars, masterclasses, and multi-day workshops.
Conversations, commentary, and the occasional appearance on screen.
Long-form interviews on Africa-Asia trade, China's Africa strategy, and frontier-market investment. Direct embeds — listen on your platform of choice.
Regular commentary on African markets, Africa–China relations, and geopolitical flashpoints from the Horn to the Sahel. Available for live segments and recorded interviews.
Keynote addresses and off-the-record briefings for investors, sovereign funds, development institutions, and Fortune 500 boards entering or deepening exposure to African markets.
Selected words from clients, colleagues, and counterparts across the continent and beyond.
For inquiries, speaking engagements, research collaborations, and media requests.
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