Lekki Free Zone near Lagos looks to offset some of the difficulties of investing in Nigeria by offering a safe, self-contained environment with varying tax and bureaucracy benefits. Chinese interest has been particularly strong so far, but the zone’s authorities are keen to attract investors from all over the world. 

Nigeria's oil and gas industry has long been rich in resources but poor on logistics, organisation and infrastructure. However, the new Dangote Industries refinery located in the south-west quarter of Lekki Free Zone, due for completion in 2017, looks set to transform the country's energy landscape. 

The recent discovery of oil and gas reserves in Ghana presents a huge opportunity for the country and investors. However, as its minister of petroleum, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, describes, the spectre of other resource-rich African countries that have suffered from the 'oil curse' will loom large in its economic strategy.

A low oil price and uncertainty over future exploration projects – with existing oil fields rapidly drying up – is threatening to tip the Angolan current account from surplus to deficit this year, and is raising questions about the future of its oil-reliant economy. 

The Nigerian government has recognised the need to for the country to diversify its economy beyond the volatile hydrocarbons sector, and to improve its business environment, but progress towards both these goals is proving to be slow.