Africa is not an alternative market - it is the next growth engine | The case for CDH’s dedicated Africa Corporate Guide

“Against this backdrop,” says Njeri Wagacha, Partner in our Kenya office and the architect behind the initiative, “CDH’s Africa Corporate Guide has emerged not simply as a publication, but as a pivotal tool for navigating the continent’s evolving legal, economic, and commercial architecture. The guide reflects a singular belief - that Africa and its constituent countries are alternative markets; they represent the sites of exceptional growth potential.”

According to data from the World Bank, Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to see economic growth rise from the current year’s base to approximately 3.7 percent in 2025 and an average of 4.2 percent in 2026 - 2027. While these figures vary across regions, the broader trend reflects recovery, resilience, and positive incremental improvement in macro-economic conditions. In a world where percentage points define the search for yield, African markets have begun to represent compelling propositions. In Africa, growth rewards those who arrive not with certainty, but with preparation.

“True progress begins the moment we stop asking whether Africa is ready for investment,” says Brent Williams, CEO of CDH, “and start recognising that Africa is ready for partnership. Growth is no longer defined by where the world has been, but by where it has yet to go. Investing in Africa is not about following the future but about helping to shape it - a principle that lies at the core of CDH’s business philosophy.”

One of the central purposes of the guide is to de-mystify how foreign direct investment can be successfully channeled into Africa through structured, strategically compliant fund setups across multiple jurisdictions. It recognises that investors no longer merely seek entry, but resilience. They look for fund structures that allow for regulatory clarity, tax efficiency, governance certainty, and flexible existence.

The corporate guide makes visible the mechanisms through which this is achieved, whether through vehicles established in South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, or beyond. In doing so, it provides a rare combination of comparative insight and practical direction, converting abstract opportunity into actionable strategy.

Just as critical is the guide’s emphasis on the importance of partnering. Africa is, at its core, a partnership-driven market.

At a strategic level, the Africa Corporate Guide also strengthens CDH’s visibility as a leading legal firm with deep sectoral and cross-regional experience. By consolidating the learnings, frameworks, and regulatory expertise into a single, publicly accessible resource, the guide positions CDH as a thought leader in African corporate law. The co-authorship model embodies the very principle the guide advocates, partnership as a market enabler. Through this, both firms fortify credibility as trusted advisors for businesses expanding into African markets, advisors not simply informed by jurisdictional law, but by continental connectivity.

What elevates the guide beyond a static informational resource is its function as a catalyst for mindset. Is that it is, at its core, a tool for reframing Africa in the imagination of investors, no longer as an enigmatic marketplace, but as an accessible ecosystem. It teaches not only how to structure deals, but how to understand markets. Not only how to enter, but how to grow. Not only how to de-risk, but how to recognise value.

In closing, the Africa Corporate Guide is simultaneously a roadmap, a signal, and a strategy. It is a roadmap for investors needing clarity and structure. It is a signal of continental confidence, authored by CDH and deeply embedded in Africa’s legal and commercial terrain. And it is a strategy tool, for businesses ready to expand, diversify, and take advantage of the continent’s projected growth trajectory.

Brent concludes by saying, “We are not here as spectators or distant beneficiaries, we are here to help build, empower, and enable. Our role is not to speak for Africa, but to stand in Africa and with Africa. Partnership, not patronage, is the future of progress. For those who will shape the continent’s future, one principle holds: investment follows insight. And insight begins with guidance.”

“Sammy Ndolo, Managing Partner of CDH Kenya, says, “We will look back in a decade and realise that the question was never whether Africa could grow, it was whether we were prepared to grow with her. The continent does not lack opportunity; it lacks only the imagination of those who underestimate it. Africa is not just a place to invest; it is a place to belong.”

 

The corporate guide makes visible the mechanisms through which this is achieved, whether through vehicles established in South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, or beyond. In doing so, it provides a rare combination of comparative insight and practical direction, converting abstract opportunity into actionable strategy.

Just as critical is the guide’s emphasis on the importance of partnering. Africa is, at its core, a partnership-driven market.

“Patrick Kauta, Managing Partner of CDH Namibia, agrees, saying, “Growing our footprint in Africa is not about expansion, it is about alignment. The real measure of our presence is not how far we extend, but how deeply we engage. We grow in Africa by growing with Africa.”

At a strategic level, the Africa Corporate Guide also strengthens CDH’s visibility as a leading legal firm with deep sectoral and cross-regional experience. By consolidating the learnings, frameworks, and regulatory expertise into a single, publicly accessible resource, the guide positions CDH as a thought leader in African corporate law. The co-authorship model embodies the very principle the guide advocates, partnership as a market enabler. Through this, both firms fortify credibility as trusted advisors for businesses expanding into African markets, advisors not simply informed by jurisdictional law, but by continental connectivity.

What elevates the guide beyond a static informational resource is its function as a catalyst for mindset. Is that it is, at its core, a tool for reframing Africa in the imagination of investors, no longer as an enigmatic marketplace, but as an accessible ecosystem. It teaches not only how to structure deals, but how to understand markets. Not only how to enter, but how to grow. Not only how to de-risk, but how to recognise value.

In closing, the Africa Corporate Guide is simultaneously a roadmap, a signal, and a strategy. It is a roadmap for investors needing clarity and structure. It is a signal of continental confidence, authored by CDH and deeply embedded in Africa’s legal and commercial terrain. And it is a strategy tool, for businesses ready to expand, diversify, and take advantage of the continent’s projected growth trajectory.

Brent concludes by saying, “We are not here as spectators or distant beneficiaries, we are here to help build, empower, and enable. Our role is not to speak for Africa, but to stand in Africa and with Africa. Partnership, not patronage, is the future of progress. For those who will shape the continent’s future, one principle holds: investment follows insight. And insight begins with guidance.”

Click here to read the Guide.