There are many misconceptions about Africa and African investing. One of the more common remarks when introducing Africa to potential investors is, “I know, this is a high-risk investment with a high potential return”, argues Paul Clark of Ashburton Investments. Read on to find why investing in African equity markets should decrease the volatility of a global portfolio and provide significant diversification benefits, while generating good returns (pp.14-15).

in this month’s issue of AGF we caught up with George G. McPherson of Criterion Africa Partners to learn more about the Africa Sustainable Forestry Fund II and opportunities in the forestry sector. Read on to find more about the fund’s investors, its investment strategy and objectives for the next 12 months (pp.16-17).

In this edition, we also spoke with the portfolio managers of Mazi Asset Management, a South African fund manager. Its flagship long only specialist equity capability was launched in 2007 for which they have built up a compelling track record. Learn more about the Mazi Capital Prime Africa Fund and its top holdings on pp.11-13.

Finally, our commentary piece focused on Zimbabwe, the country which is currently at a turning point. The need to attract investment is critical to kick start the economy, write  Kwadwo Sarkodie, Partner, and Joseph Otoo, Senior Associate, Mayer Brown (p.22).