South Africa

The history of South Africa between the 17th and 20th centuries was marked with Dutch, French, German and English colonizers. Before the diamonds and gold were discovered in the late 1800’s, the economy was mainly agrarian. While industrialization was taking place, the British government started to implement the policy of Apartheid, separating local citizens from the Europeans. Apartheid was, and in a way still is, present in the country and has a major impact on both the society and economy.

The past two decades saw a massive shift in the economy, moving away from its resource & agricultural focus to becoming a service dominated economy. The economic outlook of the country seems to be positive, despite some serious issues such as huge public debt, considerable unemployment and poverty.

Thanks to positive social, political & economic developments the country has been an attractive destination for foreign investors. Investment into financial services, energy, machinery, and mining will soon be followed by investment into construction.