Egypt continues to stand out as one of Africa’s key investment hotspots, despite the country’s mounting economic challenges. While successive currency depreciations and the increasing takeover of the economy by the army have crimped private investment in recent years, the north African country was the stand-out venue for deals on the continent in 2022, thanks in no small part to the role of UAE state and state-affiliated investors.
Healthy levels of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in Egypt stands in contrast to much of the rest of Africa. In line with international trends, the continent saw a downturn in M&A activity in 2022, following the explosion of deals in 2021. Nevertheless, M&A activity remains healthy within the continent’s finance and fintech sectors. While much of this activity centred on Egypt, significant deals were also recorded in the continent’s other major economies, notably Kenya and Nigeria.
