Working with a strategic investor provides a company with access to otherwise unavailable technology, resources, and know-how, all of which have an eventual impact on performance. But for all these benefits, there are several drawbacks associated with strategic investments that founders should carefully consider.

Transdisciplinarity is a complex, nuanced idea that has been tackled, discussed and utilized in myriad ways by an array of people over decades. But at its core, I believe it is fundamentally about learning how to curate, manage, and direct conversations with disparate people.

By investing in storytelling, governments can reshape public opinion about opportunities on the ground to advance policy objectives, attract foreign direct investment, and tell their own narrative on their terms.

Entrepreneurs may be better served by investing in profitability over press, by focusing their attention on strong strategy, sound operations, and building a loyal customer base.

The UAE is quickly emerging as the Gulf’s pharmaceutical leader by successfully attracting international companies and erecting dozens of world-class medical facilities.

Where African governments may be unwilling or unable to solve complex socio-economic challenges, philanthropy by Africa’s wealthy can bridge the gap.

While COVID-19 has accelerated digital adoption across the world, innovation in the UAE is growing at an unprecedented pace and builds on the government’s recent efforts to transform this desert oasis into fertile ground for tech entrepreneurship in the Gulf.

The AfCFTA’s promising future hinges on African businesses’ ability to leverage it to boost cross-border trade. At a macro-level, the agreement will deliver massive benefits to the continent, but the impact of the agreement on firms will be uneven and unequal.

The Middle East and Africa could be home to tech’s next gold rush. But for entrepreneurs in the region to strike it big, they must look at the opportunities that have been neglected – chief among them, booming enterprise spending. Instead of chasing consumer businesses dependent on massive amounts of cash and users, entrepreneurs should explore how they can create value for the local business community by finding innovative solutions to business challenges.

This brief is part of a series examining the evolution of insolvency law in fast-growing markets across the Middle East and Africa. The first installment of this series focused on reforms to Kenya’s insolvency law. In this brief, we analyze key recent changes to Ghanaian insolvency law and the implications for private companies and investors.

COVID-19 has strained on African governments’ resources, and efforts to ease the pressure are a step in the right direction. But the opportunity cost of each solution must be taken into account to avoid compounding the existing debt burden.

As new investments slow down, ongoing investment discussions are at a crossroads: investors must reconsider valuations or adjust key investment terms to account for the realities of COVID-19.