Gas giant Qatar extends its business empire south of the Sahara

Heavily implicated in the ‘Arab Spring’ uprisings across North Africa, and subsequently mired in political complexity as other Gulf states and their allies complained about the gas-rich emirate’s apparent support for the out-of-favour Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar has been refocusing its diplomatic and business efforts. This includes looking again at building relationships in sub-Saharan Africa, both at a government level and also by private operators from the emirate, who like investors elsewhere are looking to the region’s emerging markets to provide handsome opportunities and returns.