Author: Robert MacPherson.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Malaysia is building partnerships in Africa as part of its vision to achieve greater resiliency on the global stage through political and economic diversification. • With an increasingly heavy investment footprint spanning the length and breadth of the African continent, it is establishing itself as an important actor in the emerging ASEAN-Africa nexus. • Investment from Malaysia to Africa has been increasing, surpassing China and India in 2011 with FDI worth $19.3 billion that year. On the rise are also African student enrolments at Malaysian universities. • Malaysia currently manages a comparatively robust network of diplomatic missions and trade offices across the African continent and has an agenda to further broaden this existing coverage and improve efforts to reduce entry barriers for Malaysian firms exploring and engaging with African trade and investment opportunities. • The article specifically highlights the growing relationship between Malaysia and South Africa and opportunities across the African continent for Malaysian propositions related to infrastructure construction, halal concepts and Islamic Finance.