The opportunity
- Demographics. A median age under 20 in much of the continent means a growing workforce and growing consumer markets for decades.
- Mobile money. M-Pesa in Kenya showed the world how fast payments can move to phones. Many local brokers now accept M-Pesa deposits.
- Commodities. South Africa is a leader in platinum and gold, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana grow most of the world's cocoa, Nigeria and Angola export oil, and the DRC and Zambia mine copper and cobalt. Their prices move African currencies. See Commodities.
- Stock exchanges. The JSE is one of the largest exchanges in the world by market value, and the NSE and NGX give access to leading East and West African companies.
Loading the rest of the lesson…
Questions people ask
Can I buy shares on the JSE or NSE from my phone?
Yes, through a licensed stockbroker or investment app in your country. Fees and minimums vary, so compare a few.
Which African currencies can I trade with forex brokers?
USD/ZAR is widely available; USD/KES, USD/NGN and others are offered by fewer brokers, usually with wider spreads.
Read next
- Commodities: gold, oil, cocoa
How commodity markets work, what moves gold, platinum, oil, copper, cocoa and coffee prices, why they matter f…
- Stocks and shares
Stocks explained: what owning a share means, how investors make money from dividends and price growth, African…
- How money works
Where money comes from, why it loses value through inflation, how central banks use interest rates and why all…
Educational content only, not financial, investment or tax advice. Trading forex and CFDs carries a high risk of losing money. Look up any term in the trading glossary.