Forms and Performance of Foreign Direct Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

Foreign direct investments (FDI) are seen as pivotal in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Yet, balance of payment (BoP) statistics on FDI are often sketchy and out-dated and are thus of little help in distinguishing between different forms of FDI, their business dynamics and their impact on the host economy in SSA. This book, a successfully completed doctoral thesis at the University of Leipzig, attempts to resolve this issue. Based on a data set comprising more than 2,000 foreign subsidiaries in Sub-Saharan Africa, it highlights how different investor categories harness the economic dynamics of the region and how a chosen business strategy (industry, market entry, strategic alliances, etc.) can affect FDI performance. FDI performance and its impact on SSA’s economic development are not contradictory but can actually reinforce each other.