5 Reasons to Become a Financial Analyst in Africa

ALX Africa
3 min readJun 14, 2022

As the name might suggest, Financial Analysts are professionals who deal with money. By analysing economic trends and the corporate environment, they use their skills to provide strategic advice and direction on financial investments. You can think of them as the captains steering the financial ships of organisations!

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Globally, there is a growing demand for skilled Financial Analysts, and Africa is no exception. ALX is supporting aspiring Financial Analysts to gain in-demand skills and be at the forefront of informing the financial growth strategies of organisations across the continent through the Financial Analyst programme. If you are still in doubt as to whether this is an excellent fit, here are five reasons why you should become a Financial Analyst in Africa.

1. Industry Flexibility

Financial Analysts are needed across a diverse range of industries. If you have a growing interest in a specific sector, you can choose to pursue it. Or if you already have experience in a particular industry and want to remain in it, you can simply switch to a financial role. This job offers you a significant level of mobility as a young professional.

2. Abundant Opportunities for Growth

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Imagine being stuck and unable to advance your career! As a Financial Analyst, you do not have to worry about that as the finance industry is constantly evolving. This enables exploration and development. As you advance in your career, you can move to more senior roles and increase your income.

3. Attain a Global Perspective

Financial Analysts are at the forefront of critical investment decisions, and as a result, need a nuanced understanding of the range of global factors that impact investments. This provides many opportunities to travel to new regions to form customer relationships or advance organisational goals.

4. Competitive Salary

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In South Africa alone, the average starting salary of a Financial Analyst is $42,000, which is almost five times more than the median salary of most other professions in Africa! This means you will never have to worry about your long hours of dedication towards certification being in vain because your value will be adequately compensated.

5. High Job Security

Analytics is one of the most secure functions in finance, and Financial Analysts are in growing demand because they possess a wide range of crucial business skills and the ability to handle company-sensitive financial insights. As a consequence, they are invaluable to an organisation, so you can take ease in knowing your knowledge is indispensable.

With Financial Analysts playing key roles in the decisions of organisations worldwide, this niche is increasing in importance and value, so be sure to position yourself for the future of work.

Read more about the Financial Analyst programme ALX offers and sign up to elevate your career!

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ALX Africa

ALX is focused on empowering young professionals with critical 21st century skills and a powerful community to excel.