Africa has $1.7 trillion of potential wealth and production in areas such as agriculture, tourism and water, according to a study released by investment research firms Africa Investor and The Africa Group.

The study points to new investment areas that stretch beyond commodities, and says the potential represents an additional market size of $762.4 billion.

GDP in Africa, one of the fast-growing regions in the world, has been boosted by its vast natural resource wealth in recent years and new partnerships in other sectors could also lift growth.

Africa's strong growth will continue at a rapid pace and investors and businesses cannot afford to ignore the continent's potential.

'At the highest level, Africa is similar to any other private investment ... investors must take on risk to pursue an addressable market opportunity,' says The Africa Group.

The study also estimates stocks of extractable oil, gas, coal and uranium to be worth between $13- trillion to $14.5-trillion.

Source: Africa Investor