Now’s the time to build African expertise into your travel programme
Twenty-twenty five has been a big year for the continent. Africa’s economic growth, second only to Asia, is now outpacing the global average.
According to the African Development Bank Group, 11 of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies are in Africa, namely Niger (11.2%), Senegal (8.2%), Libya (7.9%), Rwanda (7.2%), Cote d’Ivoire (6.8%), Ethiopia (6.7%), Benin (6.4%), Djibouti (6.2%), Tanzania (6.1%), Togo (6%), and Uganda at 6%.
Major airlines, including United, Delta and Air France, have launched new routes (for example, to Dakar, Accra, Marrakech and Lagos), and South Africa hosted the first-ever G20 on African soil.
Momentum is building, and it’s hard not to feel bullish about business travel as passenger loads increase and countries across the continent invest heavily in MICE infrastructure. Travel managers are operating in a dynamic landscape – with more choice and opportunity – and Mummy Mafojane, General Manager FCM South Africa, believes we’re going to see major shifts in how we do ‘business travel Africa’ over the next five years.
Market Realities
For Mafojane, the G20 effect (including sharpened international focus), post-covid recovery figures and investment in MICE all bode well, but challenges remain:
“According the GBTA, the Middle East & Africa – as a region – has recovered to 111% when compared to 2019’s business travel spend. Saying that, recovery is uneven, there are still capacity constraints, and travel managers need to navigate challenges that are perhaps unique to the continent,” explains Mafojane.
According to Mafojane, these include:
Route and capacity constraints, with key destinations, like Douala, Cameroon, still underserved by direct flights.
“Air service agreements were high on the G20 agenda,” says Mafojane. “It’s one of the top four tourism priorities, but there’s no doubt that new, strategic routes and seamless travel are critical in terms of economic growth and sustainable development.”
Volatility in pricing, with demand outstripping supply, flights into Africa remain expensive. But there are other factors at play, including lack of competition, high operational costs and high government fees and taxes. “Hopefully, the next five years will see more regional cooperation,” says Mafojane. “We need strong intra-African routes with more choice and competition, safe, reliable carriers, and far less volatility.”
Alongside less volatility? Fewer regulatory barriers, including paperwork, visas and border bottlenecks, which all remain a headache for today’s business travellers.
Being Part of Africa’s Growth Story
Yes, ‘open skies’ still feels, in many ways, like a pipe dream. And yes, Africa is at the mercy of political shocks and regional instability (with at least 10 military coups on the continent since 2020). But new airport developments and upgrades (including mega projects in Burkina Faso, Lagos, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana and Angola) hint at something special on the horizon.
“We’re seeing massive airport projects happening across southern, eastern, western, central and north Africa,” says Mafojane. “All focused on modernising and streamlining the traveller experience, facilitating the passage of millions of travellers per year, and creating more jobs and opportunities on the continent than ever before.”
For businesses ready to take advantage, Mafojane recommends updating your travel policy for 2026 (especially if your company hasn’t revisited it in a few years) – and be willing to be a little flexible in your approach to business travel. Including:
- Booking early and bundling flights and hotels for best rates and availability.
- Allowing for longer lead times, potential delays and shifting costs.
- Investing in travel tech that enables real-time reporting.
- Evaluating and diversifying supplier relationships (be it air, accommodation or ground transport) and building strong relationships with destination experts.
- Prioritising duty of care and working closely with risk management specialists who can provide risk management services (including pre-travel advice, travel alerts, and emergency response and extraction).
- Thinking out the box when it comes to T&E policies (travel and expense) and secure payment solutions (on a continent where cash is still king).
“The Flight Centre Travel Group’s 2025 State of the Market survey is really encouraging,” says Mafojane. “It shows that 46% of companies in EMEA plan to increase their travel spend in FY26, with 36% expecting increases of up to 20%. I think we can anticipate further growth, new direct routes, positive policy shifts and more investment in aviation infrastructure off the back of the G20.”
For travel managers, the opportunity is clear: build African expertise into your travel programmes now, not later. Mafojane believes that the organisations that will thrive are those who diversify suppliers, embrace innovation, look closely at new opportunities and secondary markets – and treat the continent not as an emerging opportunity, but as a strategic imperative.
