Featured Insights
Women in the Workplace 2025: India, Nigeria, and Kenya
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In India, Nigeria, and Kenya, distinct but systemic challenges prevent women from reaching leadership roles at scale. The countries could learn from each other to accelerate progress toward equity.
Report
Leading, not lagging: Africa’s gen AI opportunity
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Gen AI is set to create significant value across sectors, and Africa has an opportunity to leapfrog other regions to capitalize...
McKinsey Direct
Family fortunes: South Africa’s thriving family-owned businesses
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Family-owned businesses in South Africa are outperforming market averages. The best of them are on par with and, in some cases,...
Article
Remember the future: The next frontier for African telcos
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A new era of growth awaits African telcos, but to reach the continent’s next 500 million users, operators will need bold,...
Report
Redefining success: A new playbook for African fintech leaders
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As African fintechs evolve, businesses and investors are shifting their focus from a growth-at-all-costs approach to investing...
Article
Overcoming sub-Saharan Africa’s health workforce paradox
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Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa face high healthcare worker unemployment—while coping with a severe shortage of healthcare...
McKinsey Direct
Turning a corner: The State of Grocery Retail South Africa 2024
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After several challenging years, South Africa’s grocery market appears to be turning a corner. What are the implications...
Report
Nature stress test: Assessing exposure of five African banking systems
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Nature-related risks are impacting Africa’s natural ecosystems and economy. An enabling environment could accelerate action...
McKinsey Direct
Vital signs: Emergency medicine for distressed manufacturing sites
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At some factories, underperformance isn’t just financial—it may also threaten safety, quality, or the environment....
Article
Africa’s leap ahead into cloud: Opportunities and barriers
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Early indications hint at an impressive surge into the cloud by some African businesses—and the potential to unlock much...
Interview
Platinum-group metals greening the future: An interview with Prakashim Moodliar
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Prakashim Moodliar explains how Anglo American Platinum considers its community impact as it works to achieve its carbon-neutral...
Article
Solving the climate finance equation for developing countries
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To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, it will be vital to mobilize sufficient capital to drive decarbonization in developing...
Podcast
A McKinsey Africa podcast with Ashraf Sabry, founder and CEO of Fawry
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Africa’s fintech start-ups are leveraging mobile technology and innovative platforms to transform digital banking. We spoke...
Article
Green energy in Africa presents significant investment opportunities
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It is possible to address Africa’s large and growing energy needs while simultaneously transitioning to sustainable energy...
Podcast
Manufacturing Africa’s future: Jobs, growth, and sustainability
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Africa’s anticipated population surge by 2050 will require robust job creation. Could the manufacturing sector provide...
Case Study
Made in Africa: Catalyzing stronger, sustainable, and inclusive economies
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Manufacturing is the bedrock of a growing economy. Foreign direct investment can play a key role in nurturing this sector to...
Report
On the cusp of the next payments era: Future opportunities for banks
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The 2023 McKinsey Global Payments Report shines a light on a changing industry and explains how banks and others can capitalize...
Podcast
The path to greater productivity and prosperity in Africa
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Young, innovative, and resource-rich: Africa is poised for a reimagining of its economic opportunity—to the benefit of...
Interview
MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita: Bridging Africa’s connectivity gap
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The head of the continent’s largest mobile operator talks about technology’s role in fostering sustainable growth...
Article
Acquiring the advantage in a fast-evolving industry
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As Nigeria’s vast network of small and medium-size enterprises increasingly looks to digitalize payments, merchant acquiring...
Report - MGI Research
Reimagining economic growth in Africa: Turning diversity into opportunity
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Africa’s economy downshifted over the last decade, yet half of its people live in countries that have thrived on the continent....
Article
How digital tools could boost efficiency in African health systems
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By expanding their use of digital health tools, African health systems could realize up to 15 percent efficiency gains by 2030...
Article
What climate-smart agriculture means for smallholder farmers
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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
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Africa’s fintech industry has rapidly expanded, and traditional financial institutions have faced intense competition as...
Report
On the brink: Realizing the value of analytics in insurance
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Insurers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa invest significantly in advanced analytics but have unlocked a fraction of the...
Article
African banking: The productivity opportunity
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African banks can increase their productivity to enhance competitiveness, build resilience, and deliver new value to customers—even...
Article
Procurement in Africa: Exercising a muscle for challenging times
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Amid rising costs and increasing demand for raw materials, African companies may need to pull every available lever to maximize...
Podcast
McKinsey Africa podcast with Paga CEO Tayo Oviosu
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Africa’s fintechs have established a solid footing in the market, helping to drive forward innovation and financial inclusion....
Article
The future of payments in Africa
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Innovations, entrepreneurs, and capital are reshaping Africa’s fast-growing electronic-payments landscape with solutions...
Report
Fintech in Africa: The end of the beginning
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Africa’s fintech industry is coming of age. In the face of political and economic challenges and a global pandemic, fintech on...
Article
A data-driven approach to addressing COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Africa
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To help improve COVID-19 vaccination rates across Africa, stakeholders may consider improving research efforts to gain a better...
Report
Nature and financial institutions in Africa: A first assessment of opportunities and risks
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Africa’s climate resilience can be strengthened by redefining its economic model to leverage natural capital and designing...
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...
Podcast
McKinsey Africa podcast with Mukuru CEO Andy Jury
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In Africa, fintechs are helping to drive forward key strategic priorities such as financial inclusion, as well as make the established...
Survey
Stretched South African consumers put health and sustainability on the shopping list
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Two years into the COVID19 pandemic, South African consumers are still facing economic challenges. But they are willing to pay...
Article
Power to move: Accelerating the electric transport transition in sub-Saharan Africa
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How governments, development partners, and private-sector stakeholders can build an enabling ecosystem for electric vehicles...
Article
Unlocking digital healthcare in lower- and middle-income countries
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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
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How the global climate agenda creates opportunities for Africa to build resilience, catalyze sustainable growth, and contribute...
Article
Africa’s green manufacturing crossroads: Choices for a low-carbon industrial future
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In Africa, the decarbonization of the manufacturing sector and economic growth and industrialization can go hand in hand; the...
Article
An ecosystem of partners: The foundation of capital project excellence
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To deliver large capital projects in heavy industry more efficiently, project owners can consider forming an ecosystem of partners...
Interview
Africa’s plan for a continent-wide pandemic recovery
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Dr. John Nkengasong, director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), explains what’s needed...
Podcast
Podcast: African banking in the new reality
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The COVID-19 crisis will not leave the banking sector unscathed. The past year has seen the acceleration of seismic trends ranging...
Article
‘None are safe until all are safe’: COVID-19 vaccine rollout in low- and middle-income countries
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Despite persistent supply issues, in-country delivery and demand for COVID-19 vaccines is likely to be the next challenge for...
Article
Africa needs vaccines. What would it take to make them here?
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For decades, private companies, investors, and public-health leaders have taken a pass on domestic vaccine manufacturing. But...
Article
African banking in the new reality
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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
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Higher income for farmers, increased output, and improved food security are among the benefits of utilizing digital tools in...
Podcast
Harnessing Nigeria’s FinTech potential
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The full potential of fintech in Nigeria remains untapped. But a youthful population, a focused regulatory drive to increase...
Article
How digital tools can help transform African agri-food systems
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Higher income for farmers, increased output, and improved food security are among the benefits of utilizing digital tools in...
Article
Africa’s insurance market is set for takeoff
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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
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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
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Small and medium-size enterprises are crucial to the economy in South Africa, and optimal support is needed to ensure their recovery...
Article
Beyond COVID-19: Charting the road to recovery for South African insurers
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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
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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
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The new digital reality presents a unique challenge for organizations. Leading an organization in a time of crisis is one of...
Report
Harnessing Nigeria’s fintech potential
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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
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Here’s how the public and private sector can provide the right support to enable SME growth in South Africa, now and beyond the...
Article
African banking after the crisis
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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
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Here’s how governments and private-sector actors can respond to the impact of COVID-19 on African agriculture.
Article
Reopening and reimagining Africa
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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
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The impact of COVID-19 in Africa could be devastating—unless governments, development institutions, and the private sector act...
Article
Tackling COVID-19 in Africa
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An unfolding health and economic crisis that demands bold action
Article
Living pay cheque to pay cheque: 2020 South Africa Consumer Sentiment Survey
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How South African consumers make ends meet in difficult times and what their changing behaviour means for retailers and consumer...
Report
Unlocking Africa’s $100 billion public-finance opportunity
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African governments face stagnant tax revenues and rising public debt. Yet they have wide scope to reform tax systems and improve...
Report - MGI Research
The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in Africa
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Gender inequality in Africa remains high, and progress toward gender parity has stagnated. This is a large missed opportunity...
Report
The future of work in South Africa: Digitisation, productivity and job creation
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Digitisation and automation could result in a net gain of up to 1.2 million jobs in South Africa by 2030, and companies need...
Blog Post
How to bring solar power to the unelectrified world
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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
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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
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Employment and productivity in South Africa’s mining sector has steadily declined, highlighting the need for the transformative...
Report
Putting the shine back into South African mining: A path to competitiveness and growth
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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...
Book Excerpt - McKinsey Quarterly
Africa’s overlooked business revolution
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Global business leaders who misunderstand Africa run the risk of missing out on one of the 21st century’s great growth...
Discussion Paper - MGI Research
Applying artificial intelligence for social good
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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?
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Profound transformations across labor markets in Western Europe will present important new opportunities to improve gender parity...
Featured Collection
Collection
Green Africa Series
As a result of its high exposure and vulnerability to climate hazards, a third of the people considered most at risk in the world live in Africa.
More insights
Collection
Pixels of Progress: An African Perspective
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New research on human development looks beneath national averages to uncover an on-the ground picture in Africa that could help...
Survey
South Africa’s healthcare consumer sentiment during the COVID-19 crisis
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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
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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
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Yesterday’s tentative approaches won’t deliver; you need absolute clarity about digital’s demands, galvanized...
Report - McKinsey Quarterly
The business value of design
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How do the best design performers increase their revenues and shareholder returns at nearly twice the rate of their industry...
Discussion Paper - MGI Research
‘Superstars’: The dynamics of firms, sectors, and cities leading the global economy
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Is there a superstar effect? McKinsey Global Institute research uncovers the dynamics of superstar firms, sectors, and cities...
Report - MGI Research
Outperformers: High-growth emerging economies and the companies that propel them
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Some emerging economies have grown much faster and more consistently than others. Underlying these success stories is a pro-growth...
Interactive - McKinsey Quarterly
Five Fifty: Leadership at scale
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Want a healthier, better-performing organization? Scale up your leadership team.
Book Excerpt - McKinsey Quarterly
An agenda for the talent-first CEO
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In tumultuous times, a company’s talent is its most valuable and reliable asset. What does it take to lead an organization...
Article - McKinsey Quarterly
Still looking for room at the top: Ten years of research on women in the workplace
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What we know—and what everyone needs to know—about the quest for equality.
Podcast - McKinsey Quarterly
How to win in Africa
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The right strategy can unlock strong, profitable growth, explain the authors of Africa’s Business Revolution.
More from McKinsey
McKinsey Quarterly: 60th birthday edition
In this special issue—the third in the Quarterly’s 60th birthday celebration—we focus on how companies...
McKinsey Global Institute
MGI’s mission is to help leaders in the commercial, public, and social sectors develop a deeper understanding of the evolution...