Ask anyone about Africa and the first response you get is a negative picture of conflict, hunger, HIV/AIDS and other health issues. But question a bit more and it’s clear that Africa is becoming a promising place for business. Africa has been described as the “The Last Big Emerging Market” with great opportunity and potential. The success of the market is essential if we wish to address the biggest challenge of our times: reducing poverty.

Making investment work for long-term development is a challenge facing both resource-rich and income-poor countries.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has boomed in Africa over the last 12 months — with record-breaking inflows of $38.8 billion in 2006, a 26.5% rise — and this revival looks set to continue. Africa’s challenge is to seize this opportunity to help boost domestic productive capacities, enabling broader economic and human development over the long term.

Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic stability, combined with a favourable global growth climate, now offers opportunities that the region has begun to exploit. But further work is needed at the “micro” level to accelerate progress on the Millennium Development Goals.

ITC's vision to develop trade, contained in its Strategy for Africa, rests on boosting intra-African trade flows, promoting networking between trade support institutions, building a positive brand, ensuring that poverty and gender issues are in the mainstream of its activities, and building effective partnerships.

It works with African institutions and reaches out to new players who influence trade and business development in civil society.

CLICK HERE to see how Africa is presenting a new face through a stronger role for women, a world of potential in services, upgrading traditional exports, and building foundations for prosperity.