While many historically wrote off Africa as the continent of despair, enterprising individuals, multinational corporations, and forward-thinking organizations have long recognized the huge, untapped potential of the region. Today, they are actively pursuing and scaling highly lucrative business ventures across the continent.

Africa is fast emerging as one of the premier future markets for sourcing quality leather and hides for the booming global leather industry. Leather and leather products are among the most widely traded and universally used commodities in the world. Already, the total value of annual trade is estimated at 1.5 times the value of the meat trade; more than five times that of coffee, and more than eight times that of rice.

While significant risks remain, we challenge those shying away from investing in Africa to consider the following arguments. First, many of the perceived risks are myths. Second, careful analysis will demonstrate that Africa is not a monolith, and an informed investor can find the right fit. Finally, this is not a journey that a mid-sized company has to take alone. Resources and expertise are increasingly available.

The rising trade between Dubai and Africa has prompted the Dubai Chamber of Commerce to announce the opening of new offices in Africa. The Dubai Chamber of Commerce already has representative offices in Nairobi (Kenya), Maputo (Mozambique), Accra (Ghana), Johannesburg (South Africa). The mandate of Dubai Chamber offices in Africa is to gather market information and to facilitate bilateral opportunities between Dubai and Africa. To do this, the Dubai Chamber offices in Africa offer a variety of services that helps to promote and represent Dubai in Africa and attract African companies to Dubai More offices might be opened in other key markets in Africa in the coming years.