Emerging Insights: Latest from International Growth Markets

With a large-scale programme for climate-resilient agriculture, irrigation and agro-industrialisation, Uganda is investing specifically in modernising rural value chains. Around USD 140 million of this will be provided via the African Development Fund.

For Austrian companies in technology, engineering, infrastructure and consulting, such early-visible project pipelines can open up attractive business opportunities. This is exactly where Fit 4 Global Projects comes in: the qualification and coaching programme supports Austrian companies in identifying international project opportunities early, understanding financing and procurement logics, and strategically positioning their own role in such projects.

The programme approved by the African Development Bank in Uganda includes, among other things:

• Climate-resilient irrigation and water supply systems
• Irrigation networks for initially more than 4,000 hectares
• Agricultural processing and agro-industrialisation
• Logistics and infrastructure for rural value chains
• Financing and support for cooperatives and companies
• Capacity building and creation of new jobs

Important: Approved financing is not yet a tender. However, it is a valuable early indicator of which technologies, services and competencies may be in demand in the future.
It is therefore worthwhile for Austrian companies to check early on: Are we a fit as a technology provider, engineering partner, system integrator, training provider or member of a consortium?
Key factors include, among others, project status, procurement procedures, reference requirements, local partners, and your own role in implementation and operations.

With Fit 4 Global Projects, we aim to support companies precisely in this: understanding international project pipelines, assessing opportunities realistically, and positioning themselves specifically for future projects.
What role could your company take on in such a project?

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20 years of EU accession process, 33 opened negotiation chapters and the clear goal of becoming a member of the European Union by 2028: Montenegro is among the most advanced accession candidates in the Western Balkans and is increasingly developing into an interesting business location. “We see cooperation and business opportunities for Styrian companies in Montenegro in the environmental technology and timber sectors,” says Karl Hartleb, Managing Director of ICS.

Despite ongoing challenges – especially in the fight against corruption and organised crime – Montenegro has recorded stable economic
development for years. After the strong catch-up years of 2022 and 2023 with economic growth rates of over six percent each, the positive economic trend continued in 2024 and 2025 at just over three percent each. Nominal GDP has almost doubled within five years – from USD 4.7 billion in the crisis year 2020 to a projected USD 9.4 billion in 2025. Driven by tourism, rising investment and consistent alignment with the European Union, the country is continuously improving its economic framework conditions. In particular, in the areas of environmental technology and the timber industry, this opens up promising opportunities for Styrian companies to build new partnerships and further expand their international business.

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With ECOVISA, twelve West African states are currently working on introducing a joint visa system intended to significantly facilitate travel and cross-border business activities in the region. Most recently, Nigeria, as the region’s largest economy, has also confirmed its participation, giving the initiative additional economic weight in the ongoing launch process.

This points to a clear trend: West Africa is developing from fragmented individual markets towards a more integrated economic area in which mobility significantly facilitates cross-border business activities. Initial assessments assume that simplified mobility can contribute in the medium term to double-digit growth in tourism as well as rising intra-regional trade flows.

In combination with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), this is creating an increasingly connected market with growing relevance for international companies. Hub strategies, for example via Nigeria or Ghana, are gaining importance, as multiple markets can be addressed in parallel. ECOVISA is therefore another indicator that West Africa is structurally developing towards a coherent growth area.

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Indonesia’s Batam Special Economic Zone, located near Singapore, is developing into an important production and investment location for international companies. Key factors include its strategic location on the Strait of Malacca, comparatively low production costs, experienced labour, and extensive tax and customs incentives.

Foreign direct investment has been growing at double-digit rates for years; around USD 2 billion flowed in during the first half of 2025 alone. Particularly strongly represented are the electronics, semiconductor, medical technology and precision industries, including investments by global corporations such as Panasonic, Infineon and Schneider Electric. Through targeted infrastructure projects and simplified approval procedures, Batam is positioning itself as an attractive alternative to Singapore and as a central industrial location in Southeast Asia.

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The Styrian technology group Andritz AG is supplying six state-of-the-art “rotating phase shifters” to Brazil, the largest order to date in this segment. The systems stabilise Brazil’s power grid, enable more clean energy from wind and solar power, and will be manufactured in São Paulo. A strategic step for the energy transition and the future of power supply in Brazil.

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The Austrian measurement technology specialist Anton Paar is expanding its international presence and, as of 1 January 2026, is establishing the subsidiary Anton Paar Chile, headquartered in Santiago de Chile. This gives the company 40 wholly owned subsidiaries worldwide, five of them in South America.

Although Zeihan’s analysis dates back around three years, it appears remarkably timeless in view of today’s global developments. The geopolitical analyst warns of a phase of growing instability triggered by demographic shifts, increasing urbanisation and strong dependencies in trade and technology. China in particular, he argues, faces an economic downturn due to ageing and the long-term consequences of the one-child policy, as the 2030s could see more retirees than workers – a scenario that would shake the previous growth model. At the same time, birth rates are falling worldwide, while many countries remain dependent on imported technology, medicines and fertiliser. Agriculture is considered particularly vulnerable, as supply chain problems, geopolitical tensions and fertiliser shortages have been threatening the stability of global food production for years. From an analytical perspective, many of the trends described by Zeihan appear to have become more entrenched rather than weakened. Whether a global collapse is imminent remains open, but there are increasing indications that we are in a phase of profound upheaval, the outcome of which will depend heavily on political capacity to act and international cooperation.

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The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has commissioned the technology group ANDRITZ Group with the comprehensive modernisation of the Rajjaprabha Reservoir hydropower plant in Surat Thani Province (Thailand).
The project includes the renewal of all three 80 MW machine sets, including generator components and certain turbine components, as well as installation supervision, testing and commissioning, with an order value in the mid double-digit million-euro range.

The power plant on the Saeng River, which has been in operation since 1987, is thus being made fit for efficient and reliable operation for many more decades. In addition, this order highlights ANDRITZ’s long-standing cooperation in Thailand: the company has been active there for over 50 years and has already implemented around half of the country’s total installed hydropower capacity.

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As part of the World Bank-financed Skills and Employability Enhancement (SEE) Project, eee Austria is expanding its international activities and will support the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) over the next 16 months in modernising its vocational and technical education system.

The aim is to equip young people with practical, labour-market-relevant skills in key sectors such as construction, tourism, automotive, ICT, energy and agriculture. To this end, 19 modular, competency-based curricula will be developed and teachers will receive comprehensive training.

The project combines international best practices with local adaptation and focuses on sustainable capacity building as well as strengthening employability in this emerging island state.

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With Agenda 2063, the African Union (AU) is pursuing a long-term development plan for a prosperous, integrated and peaceful Africa, which it is implementing through projects such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), as well as joint infrastructure and innovation programmes with international partners, especially the EU. By 2050, the population will grow to around 2.5 billion people, accompanied by a growing middle class with an estimated purchasing power of USD 2.5 billion by 2030.

Agenda 2063 defines seven core goals: sustainable economic growth and industrialisation, a shared African identity with a continental free trade area, good governance, peace and security, cultural renaissance, climate action, and stronger global influence.

This vision stands for a strategic new beginning: Africa no longer wants to be merely a supplier of raw materials, but to position itself as an active global player – with enormous opportunities also for European partners.

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