{
  "id": 16553534,
  "title": "KPMG: Economic Uncertainty, AI Readiness Will Shape Next Phase of African Investment",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/kpmg-economic-uncertainty-ai-readiness-will-shape-next-phase-of",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-26T02:18:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/10/26/kpmg-economic-uncertainty-ai-readiness-will-shape-next-phase-of-african-investment/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The 2026 KPMG Africa CEO Outlook highlights the challenges and opportunities shaping the investment landscape in Africa. While 66% of African CEOs maintain confidence in the global economy, their domestic economies receive a more favorable rating at 72%. A substantial 79% express confidence in their own organizations' growth prospects. This optimism is backed by recent performance, with 86% of African CEOs reporting revenue growth in their most recent financial year. However, only 58% anticipate at least a 2.5% annual earnings growth over the next three years, slightly below the global average of 68%.\n\nCybersecurity and data security, along with supply-chain resilience, emerge as the foremost threats to growth, cited by 31% of African CEOs. In response to these risks, 45% of CEOs are bolstering investments in cybersecurity and digital risk resilience, 36% are focusing on regulatory compliance and reporting, and 31% are accelerating AI integration. KPMG's Senior Partner & CEO for Africa, Tola Adeyemi, emphasizes that African businesses exhibit confidence in growth but must go beyond ambition. Leaders must strategically allocate investments, enhance resilience, and cultivate adaptable organizations capable of navigating disruptions. The report underscores the importance of translating Africa's abundant resources, markets, and entrepreneurial spirit into more productive, competitive, and sustainable businesses. Sustainability is evolving, with almost half of African CEOs (48%) embedding it deeply into their core strategies, compared to 63% globally. Additionally, 40% are prioritizing sustainability issues most critical to business performance, a contrast to the global average of 21%. These findings paint a picture of African business leaders who remain optimistic but confront intricate decisions regarding investment areas and strategies. The challenge extends beyond individual business performance, emphasizing the need for infrastructure development, local value chains, skills enhancement, and fostering competitive environments across the continent for sustained growth.",
  "summary": "Emma Okonji African business leaders remain confident about growth, but converting that confidence into sustained performance will depend on how effectively organisations navigate economic uncertainty, geopolitical disruption, technological change and",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}