Africa and the Middle East

Are you a German company that wants to expand globally, transform your foreign business activities or is looking for interesting investment opportunities? Or are you an international investor looking to expand your business activities in the German or European market? No matter where you come from, what your ambitions are or what language you speak, KPMG International Business offers you the support that is right for you.

We cluster our cross-border business into the four market regions Africa/Middle East, Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe, each of which has its own unique challenges and market conditions.. In addition, we are represented in numerous countries by German-speaking experts to be able to offer you the best possible advice on site. Feel free to contact your KPMG country expert about this!

Energy supply, hydrogen technology and gigantic infrastructure projects are features of this region that are constantly gaining in importance. Added to this is a growing population, increasing prosperity and improving political conditions. With the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, the geopolitical changes resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war and decoupling or derisking and the associated pressure to diversify supply chains and sales markets and develop them in regions outside the traditional partner markets, the African continent is increasingly becoming the focus of the global North.

Anyone looking for rising domestic demand should take a closer look at African countries. In 2023, 1.4 billion people lived in Africa. By 2050, this figure is expected to rise to 2.5 billion people. According to UN estimates, this figure could rise to 4.5 billion by 2100. At the same time, the population is becoming healthier and the level of education is rising. While only 10 to 40 percent of over 65-year-olds in Africa can read and write, the figure for 15 to 24-year-olds is 60 to 100 percent. In addition, a strong, tech-savvy middle class is growing up, which brings with it great potential.

Many countries, many opportunities: From a German perspective, Africa is often perceived as a monolith. However, the 54 countries differ greatly from one another in terms of political stability, levels of corruption and infrastructure. As part of the Silk Road project, Chinese investors have already recognized the potential of the African continent. Considering the challenges of the 21st century, such as climate change and enormous population growth, there is no way around Africa.

Our study "Africa: A continent on the move" also shows the opportunities and challenges that the African continent offers German companies. Over the next five years, 78% of the companies we surveyed expect their sales in Africa to increase. In particular, the continent's market growth and size as well as the availability of labor are cited as key advantages of the location.

The population in the Near and Middle East is hardly less young than in Africa. Here, however, there is often more capital and the will to fundamentally restructure the economy and make it independent of the commodities trade - a gigantic transformation. Renewable energies and the production of hydrogen are just as central to this as gigantic infrastructure projects and the construction of completely new cities. This is also shown in our latest white paper on investments in Saudi Arabia. At KPMG, you can find out more about investment opportunities and the national framework conditions. Please do not hesitate to contact us.