Exploring financial and investment strategies as foundational pillars of successful African economies : a case study of Namibia

Abstract

This research outlines that amidst the raging debates, Africa is at the receiving end of the effects of ill-crafted financial and investment strategies of their own making. The major research problem is that African economies lose a lot of investment opportunities through lost investor confidence caused by political polarisation, weakening currency value and ignoring the resources available within the economy. The main aim of the research was to explore how financial and investment strategies can be used to improve African economies to be successful. The goal was to see how financial and investment strategy can be harnessed to achieve successful African economies through examining the effect of such strategies on the economy and comparing performance of Namibian economy against others as well as the impact of joining the rand monetary union and politics.

The research adopted a mixed research methodology on data from eight countries out of the total population of fifty four African countries in various income levels. The sample size was two hundred (200) participants and one hundred and fifty (150) responded to the research instrument(s). The major findings revealed that financial and investment strategies revolving around the available resources are the bedrock upon which successful African economies hinge on, hence, there is need to tap into untapped resources and engage in massive beneficiation in pursuit of economic growth and development agenda.

Practical and managerial implications of this research show the need of developing financial and investment strategies revolving around economy’s resources so as to tap into significant incomes and investment opportunities wrapped in them. The major contribution of this research is a thrust on beneficiation and value engineering along the resources exploitation value chain as most African literature has provided little scope on the importance of this process and its impact on financial and investment growth in Africa.