Municipal and Provincial Risk Advisory Group (MPRAG)
Background
Africa is home to some of the fastest-growing urban areas in the world. The agglomerations of Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Cairo and Kinshasa account for about 46 million people alone or 4.6 percent of Africa’s total population.
More than 40 percent of the populations of most African countries are below 15 years of age, and the increasing bulk of these youth live in Africa’s bourgeoning cities.
This “youth bulge” makes African cities some of the most promising yet combustible places on the continent, rife with wide income disparities, poverty, unemployment, unchecked rural-urban migration, overpopulation and all the grievances that come with these debilitating socioeconomic dislocations.
In Africa, the combination of youth bulges, poor economic performance and a lack of immigration opportunities can prove quite lethal, especially in urban areas, which are regularly the source of most political instability.
In short, as with everywhere else, cities are the riskiest places to do business in Africa.
Nevertheless, international investors are justifiably attracted to African cities, where the disproportionate bulk of the continent’s wealth is concentrated.
It is in these cities that foreign investors typically make their initial landing in Africa, oftentimes chronically underprepared and ill-equipped to manage the subsequent political, social, economic and security risks unique to Africa.
About the Municipal and Provincial Risk Advisory Group (MPRAG)
At B&M, we have a simple mantra “Watch the Cities!,” because our research proves, if done right, closely monitoring political, social, economic, and security developments in African cities can be the key to accurately forecasting and managing political risks in most African countries.
In fact, many of the political, social, economic, and security risk fault lines that threaten a client’s investment in a country occur at the municipal and provincial level, especially in Africa’s federations (i.e. Nigeria and South Africa), where municipalities and provinces/states often have more say than the federal government in shaping local policy.
Our Municipal and Provincial Risk Advisory Group (MPRAG) provides clients with timely analysis on political, economic, security and social developments affecting the target municipality or province, and forecasts the impact of these developments on a client’s bottom-line.
MPRAG helps clients incorporate political risk management into their plans for business in African cities and states, especially at the point of entry and expansion within and beyond these often volatile locations.
Our flexible research template and pioneering AfriRisk Index©, the first comparative country risk index modeled to distinctively monitor, measure, and forecast political, economic, social, and security risks unique to Africa, can be adapted to track categories of risks prevalent in specific African municipalities and provinces and thus pertinent to a client’s business plans, such as the likelihood of strikes and the impact of petty crime.
MPRAG advises NGOs, non-profits, foreign aid donors, multilateral organizations and foreign governments (municipal, provincial and national), and also helps clients assess and manage the political risks of engaging institutions operating at the municipal and provincial level in Africa, including city and state governments.
For more information, please contact the Municipal and Provincial Risk Advisory Group (MPRAG)
directly at mprag@bmconsultancy.net
Municipal and Provincial Risk Advisory Group (MPRAG) Analysts
In addition to being experts on general African politics, history and business, MPRAG research analysts are particularly familiar with political risk stress points unique to African municipalities and provinces, possessing the requisite multinational language skills.
They monitor all developments affecting these municipalities and provinces, including those occurring within and outside them.
Lastly, MPRAG is supported by field research analysts and on-the-ground monitors based in several African municipalities and provinces (i.e. Lagos, Nigeria, Johannesburg, South Africa and Nairobi, Kenya), strategically positioned to help our clients navigate and manage the real-world day-to-day political, security and social risks of doing business on the ground.
MPRAG analysts double as members of B&M’s various other advisory groups and country clusters, which focus their research at the country, sub-regional, continental, and industry level to provide clients with insightful comparative analysis across multiple regions and sectors.
Coverage Area
B&M has the capacity to cover any African municipality and province/state of interest to our clients.
Common Research Topics
The impact of the disparity between ‘excess’ young males and available social positions within urban social systems on general political stability in Africa.
Measuring the effectiveness of municipal and provincial social programs designed to offset the risks posed by urban youth bulge, such as facilitating emigration, encouraging remittances, distributing farmland, creating urban employment and addressing ethnic grievances.
Assessing the threat of expropriations by municipal and provincial governments.
For more information, please contact the Municipal and Provincial Risk Advisory Group (MPRAG) directly at mprag@bmconsultancy.net |
