Legendary mountain biking trails and Africa seem to just go together. Most of the routes, outside of South Africa, are rarely run. These are places well off the beaten track where you will see herds of elephants, tribal villages, and cultural phenomenon that you will never forget. Ride through Morocco’s Sahara and the high Atlas Mountains, then head downhill from the snowy peak of Kilimanjaro before it completely melts away. (more…)

US Doctors For Africa sent a team of volunteer medical professionals and operations staff to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – to provide much needed medical services, and conduct assessments exploring opportunities for expanded activity and contribution to health care efforts in Ethiopia. Our primary focus is on the Zewditu Memorial Hospital, one of five hospitals administered under the Addis Ababa City Administration Health Bureau.

US Doctors For Africa volunteer teams are working side by side with host medical staff providing much needed medical services to hospital patients, primarily to the benefit of women and children. Our medical professionals are providing lectures and training in best practices to address specific health care issues such as Mother To Child Transmission of HIV (MTCT), treatment and care of HIV+ individuals, and Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) programs. Training in Hospital Administration and Management Principles are also being provided. Our operations team in the United States is working toward securing the medical equipment and supplies necessary to expand the capacity of the Zewditu Memorial Hospital, and bring much needed medical treatment to the people of Ethiopia. (more…)

Finding the right customers in the African market can be a time-consuming process. Being such a large continent, with as many as 53 countries, marketing one’s products and services in African markets is indeed a challenging task. However, for a successful marketing effort, it is imperative to identify and associate with reliable and efficient business partners in key African countries. There are a number of ways to go about identifying potential trade partners. A good starting point is via an organisation that specialises in marketing and business promotion in the African markets. Such organsations have not only the necessary experience and expertise, but also the right contacts to help you in your marketing efforts.

Another useful tool to search for business associates in African countries is the Internet. Although the internet is not as widely used in many African countries as it is in the developed world, it nevertheless provides you with an opportunity to search for your business counterparts in several African countries. Dedicated websites like the Africa Business Pages (www.africa-business.com) provide useful information for those looking for business contacts in the African continent. However, before you launch yourself into a “search-and-target” operation, here are some pointers that will help you understand the mechanisms of the African markets and help you choose the right business partner for yourself:

Manufacturer
Large industrial companies or specialist manufacturers will often purchase their requirements directly from producers. This is especially the case for specific machinery or equipment or for bulk users of raw materials.

Most industrial sectors in African countries are dominated by a few very large, diversified groups, although the current trend towards smaller, more focused groups of operating companies has seen the unbundling of many of these large corporations. These large companies are however very important, not only because of their size and diversity but because they are significant end-users of raw materials and capital inputs. Each group will have their own procurement systems to deal with imports and raw materials. This could be an in-house import department or the existence of an import company for the group that operates independently to supply the parent company and other customers. In addition to the large groups, there are numerous smaller manufacturing companies who may engage in direct procurement of certain raw materials and machinery.