ABOUT | Spotlight In Africa

About Us

SpotlightInAfrica is a digital information platform dedicated to illuminating Africa’s economic transformation. We provide data-driven insights, rigorous analysis, and compelling storytelling that empower investors, policymakers, corporations, and the African diaspora to make informed, strategic decisions about the continent’s fast-evolving opportunities.

Our platform bridges the gap between information asymmetry and investment clarity, offering a new way to understand Africa’s growth through high-quality research and contextual intelligence.

We specialize in delivering:

Macroeconomic Outlook Reports forecasting Africa’s growth and fiscal direction.
Capital Market & Investment Flow Reports tracking investor sentiment, liquidity, and cross-border finance.
Political & Regulatory Risk Reports assessing governance and policy developments across regions.
Sector Deep Dives highlighting dynamics and opportunities in high-growth industries.
Sustainability & ESG Impact Reports integrating environmental, social, and governance analysis into market intelligence.

For corporate and institutional investors, we offer:

Market feasibility and industry-opportunity assessments.
Country business and risk frameworks.
Partner and stakeholder mapping.
Corporate governance and risk-framework reports.

For governments, agencies, and diaspora investors, we produce:

Country reports focused on regional investment and growth prospects.
Sector spotlight analyses.
Diaspora-investment insights and regional-opportunity mapping.

Looking ahead, SpotlightInAfrica is developing an Africa-focused asset management division, leveraging proprietary data and intelligence to identify, evaluate, and capitalize on the continent’s most promising investment opportunities.

Our Model

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Our Leadership

SpotlightInAfrica was founded by Merid (Mike) Seleshi and Gelila Ephrem, two African-diaspora professionals driven by a shared mission to redefine how the world understands, analyzes, and invests in Africa

Merid (Mike) Seleshi Co-Founder & Strategy Lead

Merid (Mike) Seleshi is the Co-Founder and Strategy Lead of SpotlightInAfrica. He oversees the platform’s strategic direction, focusing on advancing its vision to deliver data-driven insights, elevate Africa’s economic narrative, and bridge the gap between information and investment across the continent.

With over eight years of experience across risk consulting, banking, and analytics, Mike has held progressive roles at leading financial institutions, where he enhanced operational performance, improved decision-making, and fostered stronger, value-driven client partnerships.

Mike holds a Master of Science in Business Analytics from Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Finance) from the University of Missouri. He also holds certifications from Wharton (Business and Financial Modeling), Harvard Business School Online (Business Analytics), and the Canadian Securities Institute (CSC).

Gelila Ephrem
Co-Founder, Editorial & Operational Lead

Gelila Ephrem is the Co-Founder and Editorial & Operational Lead of SpotlightInAfrica. Alongside her editorial & operational leadership, Gelila serves as a Senior Economic Advisor, providing strategic guidance and policy insight across sectors including trade, investment, and labour markets. She specializes in economic research, data interpretation, and evidence-based policy development.

Before transitioning into public policy and economic advisory, Gelila worked as a consultant with one of the Big Four consulting firms, where she contributed to large-scale infrastructure transactions and developed expertise in financial modeling, due diligence, and project management across multiple stages of complex infrastructure execution.

With over seven years of experience in economic policy, consulting, and infrastructure, Gelila is recognized as a results-driven leader who approaches challenges with analytical precision and a collaborative mindset.

Gelila earned both her Master of Arts in International Economics and Finance and Bachelor of Arts in International Economics and Finance — on full scholarships — from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), graduating with Distinction. Her thesis research explored themes central to African development, including “Foreign Direct Investment and Development: Is Africa Different?” and “COMESA Free Trade Area and Customs Union: An Empirical Analysis.”

Why SpotlightInAfrica Will Succeed

Africa is entering a decade of accelerated economic expansion — with over 1.4 billion people, a rapidly growing youth population, and a rising middle class fueling demand across sectors. The continent’s combined GDP is currently estimated at around US $2.8 trillion. Over the past five years, Africa’s economy has expanded by roughly 25%, driven by growth in technology adoption, infrastructure investment, financial inclusion, and consumer market expansion. Between 2025 and 2030, Africa’s GDP is projected to grow by an additional 25% to 30%, surpassing US $3.5 trillion by the end of the decade — propelled by urbanization, improved regional trade integration, and the demographic dividend of its young, entrepreneurial workforce, with over 60% of the population under the age of 25 and more than 20 million new workers entering the labor market each year.

This stands in stark contrast to much of the rest of the world, where aging populations and declining birth rates are slowing labor-force growth. By 2030, Africa will account for nearly one-third of global youth and represent the largest working-age population on the planet, giving it a structural advantage in innovation, productivity, and long-term economic dynamism.

This economic growth trajectory outpaces the global average of about 3% annual expansion, which equates to roughly 15–18% cumulative growth over the same period — underscoring Africa’s position as one of the fastest-growing economic regions in the world and a critical engine of global growth in the coming decade.

Yet information asymmetry remains one of the greatest barriers to investment. Reliable, localized, and context-driven intelligence is scarce and often dominated by external narratives.

SpotlightInAfrica fills this gap — As an Africa-focused data-driven intelligence and capital ecosystem, built on trust, transparency, and actionable insight.

Our model scales across three growth pillars:

Information & Storytelling Platform – building reach and credibility through insight-driven content.
Intelligence Services – B2B reports and advisory solutions for institutional investors, corporates, and governments.
Asset Management – leveraging proprietary data to inform and guide investment strategies for long-term growth.

By integrating information creation, intelligence delivery, and investment execution, SpotlightInAfrica is transforming Africa’s narrative into a platform for growth, opportunity, and global engagement.