Rich in natural resources, Africa offers vast reserves of oil, metals and precious stones and with thousands of pristine travel destinations, the tourism industry, including health & wellness tourism, continues to grow steadily. Best of Africa 2010 is a golden opportunity for African enterprises to connect with thousands of motivated buyers, and for international businesses seeking investment and B2B trade opportunities in Africa. With thousands of daily trade visitors, Best of Africa 2010 is a perfect vehicle for African businesses seeking to build new relationships and re-energise their organisations.

BusinessGlobal.com has partnered with the Pan-African Development Corporation (PADC) to create this virtual trade fair. PADC is devoted to the development of commerce and enterprise in Africa – the organisation’s mission is to bring Africa to the world – and the world to Africa. BusinessGlobal.com, in partnership with PADC, is particularly proud to showcase many of Africa’s finest businesses to the rest of the world.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Africa has made remarkable gains in promoting growth and achieving economic stability, averaging more than 6% over the past 5 years. The IMF has increased financial support to African countries affected by the economic crisis, revised its lending instruments to make them more flexible and is working to double concessional lending. The Fund continues to provide advice and technical assistance for strengthening economic policymaking in Africa, and to design more sophisticated frameworks for improved integration into the world economy.  With global efforts such as these to encourage growth in this region, this is an opportune time for African businesses to access international markets.

In recent years, Africa has built increasingly stronger ties with China. In 2007, Chinese companies invested a total of US$1 billion in Africa, overtaking Britain as Africa’s third-largest business partner. Trade between China and Africa reached USD $100 billion in 2008 and is expected to top USD $100 billion in 2010. Africa now supplies a third of the oil fuelling China’s economic boom, with Angola surpassing Saudi Arabia as the largest exporter of oil to China. With more oil reserves than North America, and an estimated 40% of the world’s potential hydroelectric power, Africa is on the verge of becoming a major global energy provider. With major world players now paying attention, African businesses have the opportunity to expand into new markets worldwide.