© South African Tourism

No one knows the exact population of Africa, writes Colin Ellson. Struggle as they obviously have, statisticians seem to have called time on counting heads around a continent of 54 countries, 3,000 ethnic groups, and over 2,000 languages mostly incomprehensible to the westerner; the Zulus, for example have 39 words for ‘green’. Small wonder that the Victorians dubbed Africa The Dark Continent.

ACCORDING to UK Trade and Invest, however, globalisation is throwing light on a continent with a reputation for civil war and corruption, poverty and immense riches. There have been, it says, significant improvements in Africa’s prospects for growth, and it is already the second-fastest growing region in the world.
The proof comes in the shape of sustained development in all sectors, from retail to agriculture and transport to telecommunications, with further opportunities opening up as economies diversify, expand and welcome foreign investment.

For UK companies yet to explore the business potential in a land 2,895 miles long and the same distance from west to east, the prospect will be daunting. Against this must be set glittering opportunities in virtually every field as emerging nations with growing spending power seek to catch up with the developed world.

To whet the appetite, Nigeria and Uganda are looking to build airports, South Africa is seeking suppliers of automotive components, Kenya needs input for its growing solar power industry, Ghana wishes to expand its banking and financial services sector, and Zambia would like to hear from providers of mobile phone services.

Having researched the potential in a variety of diverse markets, flying staff to them is a relative doddle. There are direct services to many of these destinations from the UK, and where these are not available, connecting flights are offered from the near-continent and hub airports in the Gulf.

The last guess at the population of Africa put it at around one billion. Included in that figure must be an awful lot of customers for your company’s goods and services.

Algiers, Algeria
Located on the Mediterranean and noted for its glistening white buildings, Algeria’s capital is an important economic, commercial and financial centre. Among the world’s top ten in reserves of natural gas, it has an economy based largely on fossil fuels.
British Airways and Air Algerie both fly from London Heathrow to Algiers on a daily basis. Air France, meanwhile, serves the capital city from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport six times a day, while Lufthansa flies ten times a week out of Frankfurt.

Cairo, Egypt
The Egyptian capital was at the forefront of the unrest encapsulated in the so-called Arab Spring, with mass protests leading to the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak. The country’s interim military rulers have promised elections for a civil government by the end of 2011. Meanwhile, Cairo’s dominant tourism industry is suffering from adverse publicity.
From Heathrow, BA flies to Cairo daily and Egyptair flies 11 times a week. Lufthansa flies to the Egyptian capital twice a day from Frankfurt and 11 times a week from Munich.

Casablanca, Morocco
Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Casablanca is home to the country’s main industrial complex and has the largest port in North Africa. It is the headquarters of numerous Moroccan and international companies, with an economy based largely on the export of phosphates.
Royal Air Maroc flies from Heathrow to Casablanca daily. Other routings include Air France, Lufthansa, and Brussels Airlines from their continental hubs.

Marrakech, Morocco
In the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, Marrakech has chosen to promote tourism as the trigger of its economy. Now the largest industry, based on an exotic culture, splendid landscape and easy accessibility from Europe, it recorded an impressive 11 per cent rise in overseas visitors last year.
BA serves Marrakech thrice-weekly from Heathrow, with Royal Air Maroc offering the same frequency from London Gatwick. EasyJet flies from Gatwick; Ryanair from Luton.

Tunis, Tunisia
Scene of the first shots fired in the Arab Spring, Tunis saw the country’s president deposed early this year and the installation of a transitional government. As tourism struggles to recover from negative publicity, the economy is reliant on agriculture, mining, and the manufacture of petroleum products, car parts and electric machinery.
From Heathrow, BA flies to Tunis five times a week; Tunis Air four times weekly. Air France and Lufthansa fly from Paris CDG and Frankfurt.

Luanda, Angola
Located on the Atlantic coast, Luanda is Angola’s main seaport, its chief exports being coffee, cotton, sugar, diamonds, iron and salt. Ongoing economic growth is mainly supported by oil extraction.
BA provides the only direct flight from the UK to Luanda, flying once a week out of Heathrow. South African Airways operates daily via Johannesburg, while Brussels Airlines, Air France, KLM and Lufthansa all offer two services a week from their hubs.

Gaborone, Botswana
Diamonds are Gaborone’s best friend thanks to the government’s joint mining venture with De Beers of South Africa. The capital of Botswana is the centre of the national economy and the headquarters of several major financial institutions and international companies. With no direct flights from the UK to Gaborone, the routing is via a choice of connections from major African gateways, including Kenya Airways via Nairobi.

Yaounde, Cameroon
Founded in 1888 by German traders, occupied by Belgian troops during World War One, and once a French colony, the capital of Cameroon cannot fail to be cosmopolitan. Politically stable and prosperous, it has an economy founded on tobacco, dairy products, breweries, clay, glass, and lumber, and is a centre for the distribution of coffee, cocoa, sugar cane and rubber.
With no direct flights from the UK to Yaounde, the alternatives include Brussels Airlines’ twice-weekly service from Brussels and three Air France departures a week from Paris CDG. Alternatively, fly to Geneva, from where Swiss flies daily via Zurich.

Kinshasa, DRC Congo
Formerly part of French and Dutch colonies, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is located on the Congo River. Its economy relies heavily on mining, and the country is also the world’s biggest producer of cobalt ore.
There are no direct flights from the UK to Kinshasa. This means taking one of South African Airways’ four services a week from Heathrow via Johannesburg or catching Brussels Airlines’ daily departure from Brussels. Or join Air France at Paris CDG for one of four operations a week to the Congo.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The subtropical capital of Ethiopia is located over 7,500ft above sea level. It is richly endowed with natural resources, including gold, platinum, marble, tantalite, copper, potash, zinc, iron and natural gas. Much of the potential, however, is still to be exploited, making the country ripe for investment.
Ethiopian Airlines flies from Heathrow to Addis Ababa six times a week. Brussels Airlines departs Brussels five times weekly, KLM flies from Amsterdam Schiphol thrice weekly, and Lufthansa has four services a week out of Frankfurt.

Accra, Ghana
The capital of Ghana is the country’s economic hub, a major centre for manufacturing, finance and tourism. In addition, the city has an abundance of natural resources, from gold to cocoa and diamonds to manganese, while oil extraction is increasing.
From Heathrow, BA offers a direct daily service to Accra, Virgin Atlantic three flights a week, with Ghana International flying four times weekly from Gatwick. Elsewhere, Brussels Airlines flies four services a week out of Brussels, Lufthansa the same from Frankfurt, and KLM flies daily from Schiphol.

Abidjan, Ivory Coast
The official capital of the Ivory Coast is Yamoussoukro, but Abidjan is the business city, the country’s commercial and banking centre. It also has a thriving manufacturing base, the industries including automobiles, food processing and chemicals. With no direct flights from the UK to Abidjan, the alternatives are Air France, flying daily from Paris CDG or a twice-weekly service from Brussels with Brussels Airlines.

Bamako, Mali
Once one of the world’s poorest states, Mali was bailed out by Saudi money for decades. Today, however, the benefactor is China, which has become a major investor in the country, helping to develop its infrastructure, and the capital city of Bamako is now estimated to be the fastest-growing city in Africa. With no direct flights from the UK to Bamako, the alternative is to join Air France’s daily departure from Paris CDG.

Windhoek, Namibia
Set in the centre of Namibia, the capital was once part of a German colony whose influence persists in the architecture. Windhoek is the country’s industrial dynamo, driving an economy based mainly on the extraction of minerals and raw materials.
There are no direct services from the UK
to Windhoek, but South African Airways has 20 flights a week from Heathrow via Johannesburg. Alternatively, Air Namibia flies six times a week from Frankfurt.

Lagos, Nigeria
Located on the Atlantic coast of south west Nigeria, Lagos is the country’s commercial and financial hub, housing most of its banks and financial institutions. Its port is among the largest and busiest in Africa, and Nigeria is the UK’s second-largest market in Africa.
From Heathrow, British Airways, Arik Air and Virgin fly to Lagos daily. Air France and KLM offer a daily frequency from Paris CDG and Amsterdam Schiphol respectively, with Lufthansa providing six services a week out of Frankfurt. Emirates has a double-daily operation from Dubai.

Abuja, Nigeria
Site of government institutions and multi-national companies, the Nigerian capital is a powerhouse of business activity. Located in the centre of the country, it has an economy founded on oil and petroleum products, financial services, leather goods, road vehicles and telecoms. The city is also home to the agency monitoring Nigeria’s space satellite.
BA serves Abuja daily from Heathrow, with Arik Air offering five flights a week. Lufthansa has one flight a week out of Frankfurt.

Dakar, Senegal
The capital is situated on Senegal’s Atlantic coast, on the western edge of Africa, making its port ideal for transatlantic and European trade. An important financial centre, Dakar is the site of numerous banks, and many multi-national companies and research institutes.
There are no direct flights from the UK to Dakar, but South African Airways flies 14 times a week from Heathrow via Johannesburg. Air France operates daily out of Paris CDG, Brussels Airlines has five departures weekly from Brussels.

Cape Town, South Africa
As the seat of the National Parliament and home of government offices and many insurance and petrochemical companies, Cape Town is one of Africa’s main economic hubs. It is also a regional manufacturing centre. All of which is in contrast to its reputation as South Africa’s leisure playground, celebrated for its natural harbour and distinctive landmarks such as Table Mountain.
From Heathrow, BA and South African Airways offer a daily service to Cape Town, and Virgin Atlantic operates five times a week. KLM flies daily from Schiphol, Emirates has a twice-daily departure from Dubai, and Qatar Airways departs four times a week from Doha.

Durban, South Africa
Subtropical Durban has a multifaceted economy, its pillars are tourism, transport-ation, finance and government. It is also a manufacturing giant, producing everything from chemicals to motor vehicles.
There are no direct services from the UK to Durban. Instead, Emirates flies daily from Dubai, or fly via Johannesburg with South African Airways.

Johannesburg, South Africa
The capital of Gauteng province is South Africa’s largest city and the principal air gateway to Southern Africa. Once dominated by gold mining, it no longer extracts the precious metal, although it is still involved in gold trading. Johannesburg’s industries include steel and cement plants, while the banking and IT sectors play an increasingly important role in the economy.
From Heathrow, BA and South African Airways fly to Jo’burg twice-daily, and Virgin daily. The same frequency is provided by KLM from Schiphol, Lufthansa out of Frankfurt, and Air France from Paris CDG. Emirates serves the South African city three times a day from Dubai, and Qatar Airways and Etihad daily from Doha and Abu Dhabi respectively.

Khartoum, Sudan
Following a referendum earlier this year, South Sudan seceded from the north, establishing its capital at Juba. Most business, however, is for the present conducted in the original capital, Khartoum, located where the White and Blue Niles meet. The city has a thriving economy, driven in recent years by Sudan’s oil wealth.
The only flight from the UK and the continent to Khartoum is Lufthansa’s thrice-weekly service from Frankfurt. From the Gulf region, Qatar Airways flies 14 times a week from its Doha hub, Etihad four times a week from Abu Dhabi, and Emirates three times a week out of Dubai.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
On the eastern Indian Ocean coast, Tanzania’s main business hub has an economy largely dependent on agriculture, which accounts for 85 per cent of exports, including cash crops such as coffee, tea, cotton, sisal, cashews and cloves. Meanwhile, the industrial sector is among the fastest-growing in Africa.
BA serves Dar es Salaam four times weekly from Heathrow, with South African Airways flying ten times a week via Johannesburg. KLM has a daily flight from Schiphol, Emirates the same frequency from Dubai, and Qatar Aiways has 14 operations a week out of Doha.

Kampala/Entebbe, Uganda
Kampala and Entebbe, near the equator and home to the Ugandan president, have significant natural resources. These include fertile land, regular rainfall, petroleum and mineral deposits – sufficient, it is said, to service the whole of Africa if only they were properly exploited.
BA flies from Heathrow to Kampala/Entebbe five times a week, with South African Airways offering a daily service via Johannesburg. Brussels Airlines provides three flights a week out of Brussels, and KLM six a week from Schiphol. Qatar Airways launched daily services from Doha early in November.

Lusaka, Zambia
The fortunes of the Zambian capital are largely dependent on its copper reserves. But while prices have been as sky-high as its elevation, 1,300 metres above sea level, they dipped somewhat during the global economic downturn, causing a stutter in the economy. Nevertheless, the mineral remains key to Lusaka’s long-term future.
BA flies from Heathrow to Lusaka three times a week, with South African Airways providing a double-daily service via Johannesburg. Emirates is to launch five flights a week to the Zambian capital from Dubai in February 2012.

Harare, Zimbabwe
While most observers describe Zimbabwe’s current economic crisis as the worst since independence, attributing it to the government’s price controls and land confiscation, President Mugabe’s so-called power-sharing deal with the opposition has brought some minor reforms to the country. Given proper leadership, the capital of Harare has both the natural resources and the industries to help return Zimbabwe to its
long-forgotten prosperity.
Air Zimbabwe serves Harare from Gatwick once a week, and British Airways flies daily to Johannesburg from Heathrow, with onward flights to Zimbabwe aboard partner Comair. South African Airways also operates from Heathrow, flying 17 times a week via Johannesburg. Emirates is to launch five services a week from Dubai to Harare in February next year.

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