North Africa will be the key beneficiary of investment in autos manufacturing in the MENA region as the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran forces foreign companies to rethink their strategy in the country. The recovery of Egypt's autos sector will continue to feature heavily in this North African growth story. In our regular round-up of production investments, we track the latest projects from the production side of the industry and analyse regional trends that we see developing. In doing so, we hope to build a picture of any potential hubs that may be developing, as well as company strategy in terms of production bases and export programmes.

Demand cannibalisation by smartphones has lowered the Mexican PC market, which is still developing with a household penetration of 45.4% in 2017, despite showing stalled growth for the first time. TV ownership is widespread, but vendors should benefit from upgrades to new technologies.  Pressure on digital camera volumes from smartphones will continue to be a drag.  The handset segment was affected by peso depreciation in 2015-2016, but will gain a stronger footing once the smartphone migration upside is no longer obscured by economic challenges.

North Africa will be the key beneficiary of investment in autos manufacturing in the MENA region as the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran forces foreign companies to rethink their strategy in the country. The recovery of Egypt's autos sector will continue to feature heavily in this North African growth story. In our regular round-up of production investments, we track the latest projects from the production side of the industry and analyse regional trends that we see developing. In doing so, we hope to build a picture of any potential hubs that may be developing, as well as company strategy in terms of production bases and export programmes.

The management and regulation of the power sector in Kyrgyzstan are the responsibility of the Ministry of Energy (ME). The ME is responsible for all strategic planning, legislation and developments within the power sector. Kyrgyzstan's power sector comprises six public joint-stock companies - one generation, one transmission and four regional distribution companies. In addition, there are private generation companies and 21 regional private distributors of electricity. However, while there are private companies in Kyrgyzstan, generators of electricity have to pay the state-owned regional distribution companies for the use of substations. Additionally, payments to the National Electricity Grid of Kyrgyzstan (NEGK) (transmission) and Electric Power Plants (EPP) (generation) may also be required - reportedly depending on the voltages in the substations utilised. The state thereby maintains a heavy presence in the power sector, despite there being some private actors.

As evidenced by our Key Projects Database, the large majority of the Kenyan government's power investment is focused on renewable electricity. Most of this non-hydropower renewables capacity is derived from geothermal electricity sources. Wind power also constitutes a substantial portion. However, logistical issues, along with domestic opposition, will hamper the progress of wind power projects. We therefore maintain our forecasts that the bulk of Kenyan electricity will be sourced from geothermal sources.

Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy will begin in earnest in 2018, and environmental criteria will re-emerge as a key focal point. Environmental considerations could have detrimental impacts on regional palm oil consumption, while Black Sea grain exports face weaker prospects over the coming quarters. We see few trade opportunities in Canada for EU meat productions and, lastly, we assess the future impact of big data.

Iran's power sector is primarily controlled by state-owned utility Tavanir. Power plant construction is handled by the IPDC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tavanir, which is also responsible for electricity transmission and distribution. In the last few years the government has taken steps towards privatisation with a number of power plants being sold off in IPOs. Further privatisation is planned.

Regulation and generation are largely overseen by government-controlled companies, and power stations are generally owned and operated by central public sector corporations such as the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and various state-level corporations. Transmission and distribution (T&D) is carried out by state electricity boards (SEBs) or private companies. Under the Electricity Act 2003, the government was keen to promote competition in generation and T&D. Some of the provisions include awarding multiple distribution licences in all supply areas, as well as the gradual elimination of cross-subsidies and the unbundling of distribution and retail supply. The act provides for immediate open access to transmission and phased access to the distribution network. An independent regulator was appointed as part of the legislation.

Road continues to be the largest freight mode in India, accounting for around 86.0% of the freight mix. The Indian road network is the second largest in the world, behind the US and ahead of China, and its rail network is the fourth largest in the world. In order to maintain such huge networks, investment is much-needed and various projects are in the pipeline to improve road and rail networks and upgrade air and port infrastructure, all of which will boost the freight industry.

The mix of EV and internal combustion engine related investments in China in our latest investment round-up highlights the need for automakers to fulfil current demand while also preparing for the industry's future. In Pakistan, Al-Futtaim Group's plan to assemble Renault vehicles in the country continues to build on the growing market diversity theme identified in Q118's project round-up. In our regular round-up of production investments, we track the latest projects from the production side of the industry and analyse regional trends that we see developing. In doing so, we hope to build a picture of any potential hubs that may be developing, as well as company strategy in terms of production bases and export programmes.