Your African Market Toolkit

Primary investment promotion authority. Register investments, find incentives.

Company registration, business name registration, intellectual property.

Tax registration, tax incentives, TINs, customs.

Central bank, forex regulations, licensing for financial institutions.

Trade policy, industrial licensing, sector-specific investment info.

Government tender notices and procurement opportunities.

Free zone designation and incentives for export-oriented investments.

Accra. 41 listed securities, quoted in GHS. Benchmark index: GSE-CI. Settlement T+3 for equities.

Securities market regulator — licenses brokers and dealers, approves public offers, and publishes the register of licensed intermediaries.

Lower-threshold board for small and medium enterprises, with lighter listing and reporting requirements than the main market.

Government and corporate debt. Far deeper than the equity board and the main route for institutional cedi exposure.

Spot commodity exchange with warehouse receipts for maize, soya, sorghum, sesame and rice.

Depository and settlement for equities and debt; also publishes settlement circulars.

Investment registration, incentives, one-stop investment shop.

Business registration — companies, partnerships, NGOs.

Federal tax administration, TINs, tax clearance certificates. Replaced FIRS on 1 January 2026.

Monetary policy, forex regulations, financial sector licensing.

Trade finance and export development support.

PPP project registry, concession opportunities.

Capital markets regulation, investment fund registration.

Lagos. 147 listed securities, quoted in NGN. Benchmark index: ASI. Settlement T+3.

Regulated over-the-counter market for unlisted public companies — where several large unquoted Nigerian firms actually trade.

Fixed income, currencies and derivatives. The primary venue for naira debt and FX price discovery.

Private commodities exchange with warehousing for maize, paddy rice, soya, sorghum and cocoa.

SEC-licensed exchange for commodities and futures contracts, including solid minerals and energy.

Depository, clearing and settlement for the Nigerian capital market.

Investment registration, facilitation, and aftercare services.

Company registration, business name search, intellectual property.

Tax registration, iTax portal, customs, import/export permits.

Monetary policy, foreign exchange, banking sector licensing.

Product standards, certification, import clearance.

Government tender opportunities and procurement notices.

Securities regulation, fund management licensing.

Nairobi. 70 listed securities, quoted in KES. Benchmark index: NASI. Settlement T+3.

Single-stock and index futures, launched 2019 — the first derivatives market in sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa.

Trading and price discovery for securities of companies that are not listed.

Incubator and accelerator that prepares private companies for eventual listing.

Depository, clearing and settlement; also where an investor's CDS account is held.

Primary investment promotion body. Facilitation, incentives, sector guides.

Online company registration and business licensing.

Tax registration, tax incentives for qualifying investments.

Monetary policy, forex, financial sector regulation.

Mining policy. Mineral rights are licensed by the Mining and Minerals Regulatory Authority under the Mines and Minerals Act 2023.

Energy sector regulation, licenses for energy projects.

Blantyre. 17 listed securities, quoted in MWK. Benchmark index: MASI. Settlement T+3.

Lower-cost board for small and medium enterprises raising capital.

Government and corporate notes; the listed board carries a substantial number of Treasury notes.

Investment registration, facilitation, incentives, sector briefs.

Business registration, intellectual property, civil registration.

Tax registration, tax clearance, customs and excise.

Monetary policy, foreign exchange, commercial banking licenses.

Oil and gas sector regulation, upstream licensing.

National road projects and PPP opportunities; took over the roads mandate of the dissolved Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA).

Government tenders, procurement notices.

Kampala. 19 listed securities, quoted in UGX. Benchmark index: ALSI. Settlement T+3, with delivery versus payment and a settlement guarantee fund.

Securities market regulator — licenses brokers and dealers, approves public offers, and publishes the register of licensed intermediaries.

A separately licensed Ugandan exchange focused on fixed income and alternative asset listings.

Clearing, settlement and depository, operated by the exchange itself.

Licenses brokers and approves issues; publishes the list of licensed market intermediaries.