Hedge funds hire for Africa

Recruiters report growing demand for Africa experts to work in London hedge funds.

"African emerging markets jobs are starting to come through," says Lee Bevan, a consultant at Mirage Recruitment, a hedge fund specialist. "As the market takes off, we're expecting a lot more of them from September."

Bevan is currently looking for a credit analyst specializing in African and Middle Eastern emerging markets to work at a London-based hedge fund. He says prior regional experience would help, but is not mandatory.

Burgeoning interest in Africa coincides with a report on Reuters highlighting South Africa as a significant growth market for hedge funds.

Reuters quotes Kevin Shames, director of South Africa-based Alpha Asset Management. Shames says around 100 hedge funds now manage 1.4bn of investments in the country, up 36% on last year. He forecasts this will rise to around 2.8bn over the next 12 months as investors wise up to the opportunities on offer in the country