FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does one invest in the Sub-Saharan Africa?

The Sub-Saharan Africa is a highly uncharted investment haven for the bold investor, investments are usually channeled though one of three American Overseas Credit Organizations.

The American Procurement & Export Company would gladly guide in this area of investment when you have chosen your area of investment.

2. How does one repatriate one’s profit from the Sub Saharan Africa back to America?

When an export investment portfolio is properly handled and channeled, the repatriation of investments and profits are insured and guaranteed by the supervising US trade Administration Agencies. The Countries of the Sub-Saharan Africa have different and various regulations for different Industrial Sectors in the terms of foreign participation and profit repartition handled properly, it is not an impossible task. The returns on investment most of the time is worth the effort.

3. How does one ascertain the political stability of the country in which one is to invest, or one is interested in?

There is a country rating in terms of political stability by the American Procurement & Export Company (APECO) showing the political stability of each country in the Sub Saharan Africa based on sound, expert opinion in the relevant industry one is interested in. Our resource professional experts are continuously updating these ratings.

4. What are the areas where one could best recoup his investment in the Sub Saharan Africa?

The areas ranges from Banking and Finance in Ghana, to Telecommunication and Oil/Gas in Nigeria, Angola and Gabon. This actually depends on one’s areas of interest and the country one is looking into. But for the pure investor without any special area of interest Messer American Procurement & Export Company can identify the various Industrial/Investment Sector in each of the countries of the Sub Saharan Africa.

5. How many multi National Companies can one do business with in the Sub-Saharan Africa?

There are over 200 (two hundred) multi National Companies in the Sub Saharan Africa especially with parent companies emanating from Europe with long ties in the region. They are engaged in various businesses of Aviation and Air Transportation, Telecommunication, Oil and Gas. Road Construction, Hydro-Electricity Generation and Distribution Sales of Energy Equipments like Generators, Transformers, Electrical Cables, Heavy Construction Equipments and Farm Implements.

6. How does one source for Construction-Contract, Supply and Procurement jobs in the Sub Saharan Africa?

It can either be from the World Bank Funded (Assisted) Projects (or Training), Private Sector-the multi-Nationals or the Public Sector of the country. Payments for the first two-The World Bank Assisted Projects, Multi National Corporations are steady and not affected by the stability in the country of operation, once all the various conditions have been met. Even here advance payment with guaranteed specific performance bonds from banks/insurance Companies are given. American Procurement & Export Company periodically floats some of those projects on its website for interested companies to signify interest.

You can register with APECO for notification of such projects when they are available in the region for you attention.

7. How does one check the validity or otherwise of business proposals or offers from the Sub-Saharan Africa?

Authenticity of Business offers or proposals from the Sub-Saharan Africa is very important because of the various business scams that have originated from the Region in the recent past.

Messer American Procurement and Expert Company (APECO) would undertake to check the authenticity of any business proposals from the area for very low fees. We would always resolve if in doubt on the side of caution.

8. What area of government handles payment for jobs and contract administration in the Sub-Saharan Africa?

This varies from country to country but it is very important to identify the point of payment for contracts deemed to have been awarded to any company before the commencement of the contract or project. It might also be helpful if one checks the supervising ministry/department responsible for the monitoring and approval of the progress on the job. To go the extra length, it is worthwhile to check the approved sum voted for the project under the ministry/department budgetary allocation for the financial year.

The American Procurement & Export Company can easily check this out for your firm at a very low price and save your company the agony of job not paid for.

9. How does one check on Business Partners before getting into serious business commitment?

Here it is important to check on the background of ones future business partners before once a relationship is entered into it might be difficult and painful to extricate one’s company image, the corporate image that had been built over time. Here American Procurement and Export Company usually does background checks under current/newly formed companies in the Sub Saharan Africa using the

a)     The personalities involved in the company

b)     The bank references

c)     Registration of the company at the company registration board

d)     The political standing of the Directors of the new company vis-à-vis the current political situation in the country.

Has the new company’s director lost political office or fallen out of political favor of the ruling party? These are relevant questions to be asked and understood because political victimization is quite rampant in the countries of the Sub Saharan Africa.