Is the MENA region a good investment?

INVESTING IN MENA

Maria Merricks examines whether the economies of the Middle East and North Africa offer dynamic opportunities.

As global emerging markets mature further, investors have started to look to the frontier economies of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for more dynamic opportunities. A healthy macroeconomic outlook for 2011 suggests they will not be disappointed. Expected growth The larger economies of Egypt and Saudi Arabia are expected to grow between 4%-6%, while Qatar is forecasted to surpass the 10% mark. Despite a challenging couple of years following the Dubai debt crisis, even the UAE is expected to grow by 3%. A key theme in the growth story of MENA is its favourable demogra...