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Featured Insights

How digital tools could boost efficiency in African health systems

– By expanding their use of digital health tools, African health systems could realize up to 15 percent efficiency gains by 2030 and reinvest the savings to improve access and outcomes.
Article

What climate-smart agriculture means for smallholder farmers
– McKinsey research identified more than 30 measures that smallholder farmers can pursue to adapt to and mitigate climate change.
Podcast

McKinsey Africa podcast with Dare Okoudjou, founder and CEO of MFS Africa
– Africa’s fintech industry has rapidly expanded, and traditional financial institutions have faced intense competition as... a result. MFS Africa’s founder and CEO discusses the sector’s growing potential.
Report

On the brink: Realizing the value of analytics in insurance
– Insurers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa invest significantly in advanced analytics but have unlocked a fraction of the... potential value. How do top performers tip the balance in their favor?
Article

African banking: The productivity opportunity
– African banks can increase their productivity to enhance competitiveness, build resilience, and deliver new value to customers—even... in the face of a tightening global business environment.
Podcast

McKinsey Africa podcast with Paga CEO Tayo Oviosu
– Africa’s fintechs have established a solid footing in the market, helping to drive forward innovation and financial inclusion.... We talk to Tayo Oviosu, founder and CEO of Paga, about the potential of this sector.
Article

The future of payments in Africa
– Innovations, entrepreneurs, and capital are reshaping Africa’s fast-growing electronic-payments landscape with solutions... for consumers and businesses alike.
Report

Fintech in Africa: The end of the beginning
– Africa’s fintech industry is coming of age. In the face of political and economic challenges and a global pandemic, fintech on... the continent is booming. Here’s what comes next.
Article

A data-driven approach to addressing COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Africa
– To help improve COVID-19 vaccination rates across Africa, stakeholders may consider improving research efforts to gain a better... understanding of barriers and drivers behind population vaccine uptake.
Report

Nature and financial institutions in Africa: A first assessment of opportunities and risks
– Africa’s climate resilience can be strengthened by redefining its economic model to leverage natural capital and designing... financial systems to redirect critical nature-based investments.
Article

The future of African oil and gas: Positioning for the energy transition
With momentum for sustainability building, Africa’s oil and gas producing nations have a unique opportunity to embark on... an inclusive energy transition and chart a course toward a sustainable future.
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Podcast

McKinsey Africa podcast with Mukuru CEO Andy Jury
– In Africa, fintechs are helping to drive forward key strategic priorities such as financial inclusion, as well as make the established... banking players reinvigorate innovation. We talk to Andy Jury, the CEO of Mukuru about the potential of this sector.
Survey

Stretched South African consumers put health and sustainability on the shopping list
– Two years into the COVID19 pandemic, South African consumers are still facing economic challenges. But they are willing to pay... for what really matters to them. In this article, we explore the implications of changing consumer sentiment and behavior for retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers in South Africa.
Article

Power to move: Accelerating the electric transport transition in sub-Saharan Africa
– How governments, development partners, and private-sector stakeholders can build an enabling ecosystem for electric vehicles in... the region.
Article

Unlocking digital healthcare in lower- and middle-income countries
– COVID-19 led many healthcare systems in lower- and middle-income countries to adapt digital-healthcare platforms.
Executive Briefing

Green Africa: A growth and resilience agenda for the continent
– How the global climate agenda creates opportunities for Africa to build resilience, catalyze sustainable growth, and contribute... to the net-zero transition.
Article

Africa’s green manufacturing crossroads: Choices for a low-carbon industrial future
– In Africa, the decarbonization of the manufacturing sector and economic growth and industrialization can go hand in hand; the... choices the continent makes now will be critical for its future success and prosperity.
Article

An ecosystem of partners: The foundation of capital project excellence
– To deliver large capital projects in heavy industry more efficiently, project owners can consider forming an ecosystem of partners... and fundamentally rethinking ways of working together.
Interview

Africa’s plan for a continent-wide pandemic recovery
– Dr. John Nkengasong, director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), explains what’s needed... to tackle COVID-19 across the continent.
Podcast

Podcast: African banking in the new reality
– The COVID-19 crisis will not leave the banking sector unscathed. The past year has seen the acceleration of seismic trends ranging... from deglobalization and a radical shift in the macroenvironment to transformed customer expectations. As African banks chart their paths to recovery in this new reality, they can act swiftly to manage elements that are within their control to shape their recovery and growth trajectory. This could be critical not just for restoring ROEs to meet the needs of shareholders and to better serve their customers, but also in enabling the recovery of Africa as banks have an important role to support customers and economies during these challenging times.
Article

‘None are safe until all are safe’: COVID-19 vaccine rollout in low- and middle-income countries
– Despite persistent supply issues, in-country delivery and demand for COVID-19 vaccines is likely to be the next challenge for... LMICs.
Article

Africa needs vaccines. What would it take to make them here?
– For decades, private companies, investors, and public-health leaders have taken a pass on domestic vaccine manufacturing. But... a confluence of circumstances may be changing the calculation.
Article

African banking in the new reality
– Swift action and a focus on three imperatives could strengthen African banks and support recovery.
Podcast

Podcast: How digital tools can help transform African agri-food systems
– Higher income for farmers, increased output, and improved food security are among the benefits of utilizing digital tools in an... agricultural setting.
Podcast

Harnessing Nigeria’s FinTech potential
– The full potential of fintech in Nigeria remains untapped. But a youthful population, a focused regulatory drive to increase financial... inclusion, and accelerating digital adoption due to COVID-19, are creating the conditions for a thriving sector. If stakeholders take quick and decisive action, they can strategically protect gains and accelerate growth in the sector, even in difficult economic times.
Article

How digital tools can help transform African agri-food systems
– Higher income for farmers, increased output, and improved food security are among the benefits of utilizing digital tools in an... agricultural setting.
Article

Africa’s insurance market is set for takeoff
– Five strategic considerations to help guide insurance companies on their journey to success in Africa.
Article

Nigeria’s banking sector: Thriving in the face of crisis
– Bold ideas to help the industry build resilience and drive long-term sustainability.
Article

A credit lifeline: How banks can serve SMEs in South Africa better
– Small and medium-size enterprises are crucial to the economy in South Africa, and optimal support is needed to ensure their recovery... and growth into the next normal
Article

Beyond COVID-19: Charting the road to recovery for South African insurers
– Seven big moves could help insurers navigate the crisis and thrive in the long term.
Article

Driving economic recovery in South Africa’s BPO industry
– How business process outsourcing can position itself to create jobs and grow beyond the crisis
Podcast

Driving digital change during a crisis: The chief digital officer and COVID-19
– The new digital reality presents a unique challenge for organizations. Leading an organization in a time of crisis is one of the... greatest challenges a CDO can face. By demonstrating resilient leadership and a clear view of how to use digital to navigate the crisis, CDOs can help the business not just to survive but also to be ready for the next normal.
Report

Harnessing Nigeria’s fintech potential
– How stakeholders could position the fintech sector for growth now and beyond the crisis.
Article

How South African SMEs can survive and thrive post COVID-19
– Here’s how the public and private sector can provide the right support to enable SME growth in South Africa, now and beyond the... crisis.
Article

African banking after the crisis
– Here’s how African banks can manage the impact of COVID-19—and prepare for recovery.
Article

Safeguarding Africa’s food systems through and beyond the crisis
– Here’s how governments and private-sector actors can respond to the impact of COVID-19 on African agriculture.
Article

Reopening and reimagining Africa
– How the COVID-19 crisis can catalyze change across the continent.
Article

Finding Africa’s path: Shaping bold solutions to save lives and livelihoods in the COVID-19 crisis
– The impact of COVID-19 in Africa could be devastating—unless governments, development institutions, and the private sector act... with extraordinary speed and agility.
Article

Tackling COVID-19 in Africa
– An unfolding health and economic crisis that demands bold action
Article

Living pay cheque to pay cheque: 2020 South Africa Consumer Sentiment Survey
– How South African consumers make ends meet in difficult times and what their changing behaviour means for retailers and consumer... packaged goods manufacturers.
Report

Unlocking Africa’s $100 billion public-finance opportunity
– African governments face stagnant tax revenues and rising public debt. Yet they have wide scope to reform tax systems and improve... spending efficiencies. Across Africa, public-finance transformation could deliver $100 billion a year in new revenues and savings.
Report - McKinsey Global Institute

The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in Africa
– Gender inequality in Africa remains high, and progress toward gender parity has stagnated. This is a large missed opportunity... for African societies and for the continent’s growth prospects.
Report

The future of work in South Africa: Digitisation, productivity and job creation
– Digitisation and automation could result in a net gain of up to 1.2 million jobs in South Africa by 2030, and companies need to... move fast to capitalise on these opportunities.
Blog Post

How to bring solar power to the unelectrified world
– Solar home systems can help to bridge the electrification gap in developing countries—if certain conditions are met.
Commentary

Digital reinvention can spur South Africa’s economy
– If companies in the country embrace digital, they could outpace peers and see an increase in profitability and revenue growth.
Commentary

New technology for an old industry: How digital can renew South African mining
– Employment and productivity in South Africa’s mining sector has steadily declined, highlighting the need for the transformative... power of digital technologies.
Report

Putting the shine back into South African mining: A path to competitiveness and growth
– The industry can achieve global cost competitiveness if the private and public sectors take concerted action.
Book - Featured Insights

Africa's Business Revolution: How to Succeed in the World's Next Big Growth Market
The definitive guide to doing business in Africa, packed with fresh insights from McKinsey and exclusive interviews with prominent... CEOs.
Book Excerpt - McKinsey Quarterly

Africa’s overlooked business revolution
– Global business leaders who misunderstand Africa run the risk of missing out on one of the 21st century’s great growth opportunities.
Discussion Paper - McKinsey Global Institute

Applying artificial intelligence for social good
– AI is not a silver bullet, but it could help tackle some of the world’s most challenging social problems.
Report

Women and the future of work: A window of opportunity in Western Europe?
– Profound transformations across labor markets in Western Europe will present important new opportunities to improve gender parity... in the workplace.

More insights

Survey

South Africa’s healthcare consumer sentiment during the COVID-19 crisis
– Safety, cleanliness, and location proximity remain the most important factors in selecting healthcare providers.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Closing the gender gap: A missed opportunity for new CEOs
– Many new CEOs reshuffle their top teams, but surprisingly few make them more diverse. Can we do better?
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Digital strategy: The four fights you have to win
– Yesterday’s tentative approaches won’t deliver; you need absolute clarity about digital’s demands, galvanized... leadership, unparalleled agility, and the resolve to bet boldly.
Report - McKinsey Quarterly

The business value of design
– How do the best design performers increase their revenues and shareholder returns at nearly twice the rate of their industry counterparts?
Discussion Paper - McKinsey Global Institute

‘Superstars’: The dynamics of firms, sectors, and cities leading the global economy
– Is there a superstar effect? McKinsey Global Institute research uncovers the dynamics of superstar firms, sectors, and cities... in the global economy.
Report - McKinsey Global Institute

Outperformers: High-growth emerging economies and the companies that propel them
– Some emerging economies have grown much faster and more consistently than others. Underlying these success stories is a pro-growth... policy agenda and the standout role of large companies.
Interactive - McKinsey Quarterly

Five Fifty: Leadership at scale
– Want a healthier, better-performing organization? Scale up your leadership team.
Book Excerpt - McKinsey Quarterly

An agenda for the talent-first CEO
– In tumultuous times, a company’s talent is its most valuable and reliable asset. What does it take to lead an organization... that truly unleashes its human capital?
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Still looking for room at the top: Ten years of research on women in the workplace
– What we know—and what everyone needs to know—about the quest for equality.
Podcast - McKinsey Quarterly

How to win in Africa
– The right strategy can unlock strong, profitable growth, explain the authors of Africa’s Business Revolution.
Article

A credit lifeline: How banks can serve SMEs in South Africa better
– Small and medium-size enterprises are crucial to the economy in South Africa, and optimal support is needed to ensure their recovery... and growth into the next normal
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