Which African leader will take up after Mandela?

A year after the death of Nelson Mandela, we must start asking which African leader will take the mantle from the esteemed South African leader, Nelson Mandela. Mandela was not perfect, but even with his weaknesses, he transcended South Africa, and Africa, to become a global paragon of virtue, morality, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Even more poignant, he ruled for just five years, and surrendered power when he could easily have been re-elected for a second and final term.

Sure, Nelson Mandela had his weaknesses, but the fact is that he was able to rise above those weaknesses and become a global icon. Which African leader can then rise up to take Mandela's place. Sure, there is a lack of leadership in many countries across the world. But in Africa, the lack of effective leadership is of crisis proportions. The Mo Ibrahim leadership Prize, a 5 million dollar

Is the Africa Rising Narrative a Myth.

That Africa is not one country is not in doubt. There are huge differences within and without countries. To this end, it would be imperative that each of the different African countries be looked at differently. However, one of the maxims which has gone mainstream is that six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa. This means, that Africa is the next frontier for growth in the world. This has led to the so called 'Africa rising narrative'. What then must we do so that this narrative becomes part and parcel of the global conversation.

First of all, we must acknowledge that 6 percent is such a small growth rate if Africa hopes to lift millions of its people out of poverty. According to the MCKinsey report, there are close to 200 million Africans that are in the middle class category. However, other economists posit that this

Venture Capital- The missing middle in Africa.

Venture capital is the missing middle in Africa. While small businesses can get loans from microfinance institutions, big multinational companies can easily secure large sums of money from  banks. This leaves out the middle high growth businesses that have nowhere to turn to whne they need financing for their businesses. What's more, most of the growth in Africa is driven by minerals and extractive materials, which makes the high growth rates in the continent to be deceptive.

This is why the growth in Africa can sometimes feel hollow, creating what's known as jobless growth. Young people in Africa have especially been hard hit by lack of jobs, and studies show that

Four Predictions for Africa in 2015.

In 2015, Africa will undergo tremendous changes. Here at Africa Analyst, here are the four major points we think will shape Africa in 2015.

1. Faster economic growth
Many countries will continue to grow their economies faster, and pay credence to the Africa rising narrative. Already, six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa, and we must do as Africa is to consolidate these gains. However, the challenge will be in how the gains of this economic growth are spread.

2. Booming real estate sector.
The real estate sector in the continent is set to undergo tremendous growth, and cities such as Luanda in Angola will remain areas where property prices will be particularly high. However, the growth in real estate sector must not be to the detriment of other sectors of the economy.

3. Booming IT sector.
The IT sector could be the real game changer in Africa. However, more must be done to move this palpable sense of growth from hype to reality. Already, many incubation centers such as Ihub in

NIgerian elections- Will the country remain stable?

Nigerian elections are set to be held early 2015. They are set to pit Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, and the current President, Goodluck Jonathan. More precisely, the election willl pit the christian south against the muslim north. Traditionally, Nigeria has exercised a gentleman's power sharing agreement, in which power is rotated between the Christian South and the Muslim North. However, this arrangement was broken when Goodluck became President and succeeded the late Umaru Yaradua, to the chargrin of many northerners. In early 2013, Nigeria became Africa's largest economy after it rebased its economy, which is now half a trillion dollars. However, instabilities in the north, occasioned by the Islamist terror group Boko Haram, have served to overshadow the tremendous economic gains that the country is making.