In addition, Hillary Clinton put her stamp of approval on Africa during a recent conference at which she said, “Africa is open for business and ready to grow.”
Media Newswire reports that over the past 10 years in Africa, “child mortality rates have declined, while primary school enrollments have increased. More people have gained access to clean water and fewer have died in violent conflicts. More than 315 million people began using mobile phones and every day, 21st-century technology is creating new opportunities and unlocking untapped potential.” [5 Infrastructure ETFs With Room to Grow.]
In one example of Africa’s growth: in Angola, 35% of the population now has a bank account. That’s up from 4% just four years ago, says The African Report.
However, Clinton was not all praise. She did indicate that despite the vast improvements in Africa, it still faces many headwinds. Particularly, its infrastructure needs to be built out to improve efficiencies in trade and business. Also, the separate nations within Africa need to work together to improve the collective good.
For more stories on Africa, visit our Africa category.
- iShares MSCI South Africa Index (NYAR: EZA)
- Market Vectors Africa ETF (NYSEArca: AFK)
- SPDR S&P Emerging Middle East & Africa (NYSEArca: GAF)
Sumin Kim contributed to this article.