Notes From the Road: South Africa - Wide Open Savannah, Wide Open Perspective

9 min read | by Alice Popescu | It is easy to develop an unappealing top-down picture of the South African investment landscape.  Challenges related to unemployment, chronic inflation, economic growth, government debt, corruption, and more have turned away many foreign investors.  So why, then, did we travel halfway around the world in search of high-quality companies to add to our investment portfolio?  Four main themes emerged from my recent trip to South Africa, which underscore many of our holdings’ investment theses and our overall enthusiasm about the region’s future: 1) encouraging infrastructure trends, 2) sustainable developments in renewable energy, 3) early adoption of technology, and 4) strategic positioning as an African/frontier portal.