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Economies in sub-Saharan Africa are some of the fastest growing in the world. This year with a continued high demand for Africa’s minerals and oil, the region will most likely see a six percent growth increase. While Africa may still have a long way to go in terms of infrastructure and wealth-building, many others are reaping the benefits of additional business and looking to spend big. As Choice Okoro, a Nigerian professional in her late 30s tells Daily News, “The reality for Africa is that we are the new breed.”

Okoro, who has found her niche in Nairobi, Kenya, enjoys strolling through the local Westgage shopping mall. She spends about R4000 a month on clothing and shoes, a large amount to the many that still live in extreme poverty in the area.

“My mother would not pay what I pay for shoes,” she admits. “At my age, my mother had nine of us.”

Okoro is one of the rising number of “black diamonds,” the name given to prosperous African professionals by South African retailers. She and the many like her are the new target for luxury brands such as Hugo Boss, Prada and Louis Vuitton. “Luxury goods are a status symbol for Nigerians,” Edwards Efe said to the Daily News.

And now, with fast-growing economies, the luxuries Africans used to buy abroad in Paris, London and the US are now available in new, high-end malls and shopping centers springing up across the continent. Efe takes his time shopping in Swatch and Polo at The Palms, one such shopping center in Lagos.

Even smaller West African countries, such as Senegal, enjoy the accessibility of luxury shopping. In 2010 the Sea Plaza mall opened near the Radisson Blu hotel. Its

But what Africa’s wealthy loves to show off the most is cars. Every day a growing number of Audis, Mercedes-Benz cars and BMWs fill the streets of large cities such as Soweto and Lagos.

Building a presence in Africa is still difficult for many companies, as importing goods often causes problems. But the top retailers know that when the money starts rolling in from the millions of Africans looking to flaunt pricey, extravagant accessories,  the challenges are worth it.