- Africa: According to the annual UNCTAD report (see EI of 20 and 21 September), foreign direct investment in Africa fell last year, now standing at less than 1% of the already weak share of the continent in total world investments. This movement of withdrawal ($9.1 billion in 2000 against 10.5 billion in 1999), which follows a rise of $2 billion in 1999, marks the first serious decline since the mid nineties. Essentially it results from the slowdown recorded in several countries including Angola, Morocco and South Africa, the main beneficiaries of investment in Africa and for which the flows are reduced. On the other hand, FDI from Africa remains minimal except in the case of South Africa. This region is, in fact, the origin of 43% of capital investment that came out of Africa last year ($1.3 billion), being, in fact, by far the continent's most important source of FDI. UNCTAD gives the following details: 1) investment in sub-Saharan Africa went from $8 billion in 1999 to 6.5 billion in 2000. This drop can mainly be explained by the fall in flows in Angola and South Africa; 2) within the sub-Saharan region itself, it is the South African Development Community (SADC - 14 countries) that records the most progress since the early nineties. Although the flows destined for the Community have fallen again ($3.9 billion in 2000 as opposed to 5.3 billion in 1999), because of the fall in Angola and South Africa, it still remains clearly above the average of $3 billion received by the current SADC members between 1994 and 1998. Large increases were thus noted in Lesotho, Mauritius and Tanzania while a downturn was noted in other SADC countries. Thus, for example, in Zimbabwe, the flows fell by $444 million in 1998 to 59 million in 1999 then to 30 million in 2000; 3) FDI fell in 34 most advanced African countries, from $4.8 billion in 1999 to 3.9 billion in 2000, because of the situation in Angola. If one does not take Angola into account, the volume remains practically unchanged from the previous year; 4) North Africa kept more or less at the same level as the previous year ($2.6 billion). More particularly, flows fell in Morocco, where a major privatisation operation in the telecommunication field had given it a surge last year, and in Algeria. In Sudan, FDI concentrated in oil exploration went from $370 million to 392 million. Egypt remains in first position in the sub-region, with the FDI it receives increasing slightly from $1 to 1.2 billion.