Forgotten territories: the uneven geography of FDI in Africa and the case studies of Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe

ABSTRACT

Considering the uneven geography of foreign direct investment in Africa, this article examines political, demographic and infrastructural factors that have led six countries – Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, the Gambia, Guinea Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe – to be the least attractive territories to the external capital. This paper investigates the extent to which political stability, qualification of labor, potential consumer market, regional integration, and infrastructure play a central role in attracting investments. It also debates Geography’s role in investigating African countries’ particularities to avoid common generalizations, which are still disseminated by Afro-Optimism and Afro-Pessimist perspectives.

KEYWORDS:

• Uneven development
• foreign direct investment
• political stability
• labor
• consumer market
• infrastructure

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kauê Lopes Dos Santos

Kaue Lopes dos Santos holds a PhD in Human Geography from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Currently, he is a Visiting Fellow at London School of Economics and Political Science and his research addresses topics related to African and Latin American economies.