BRICs beware: according to experts, there’s a new economic powerhouse on the block. Sub-Saharan Africa was in an economic slump for most of the 80s and 90s, but a recent, much-cited major survey released by McKinsey & Company showed that business improved throughout the following decade and in 2010, international arrivals rose by 6 percent – double the growth rate for Europe. Since then, the IMF has predicted that sub-Saharan Africa’s economies will grow by an average of just under 6 percent in 2012.

Business travel to these countries used to be the preserve of the commodities industries but the demand is growing in consumer-facing industries and infrastructure. Telecommunications companies are experiencing huge growth, which could lead to unprecedented change across the region: between 2003 and 2010, mobile subscriptions across Africa went from 52 million to 535 million – a shift from 6% to 52% of the population.

This month I spent two weeks in Ghana and there was certainly a spark in the air. Shops and houses are branded with mobile phone logos and entrepreneurs are everywhere, from the growing number of city high-rises to roadside stalls. For every delayed bus and frustrating piece of paperwork, there’s a gem of excitement: strangers welcome you to their country as you pass by, or spend ten minutes giving you extensive directions when they see you looking lost. There’s no doubt that Ghanaians do things very differently to us, and the chaos was slightly bewildering at first, but somehow it just seems to work.

However, while positive economic predictions will be welcomed across Africa, I’m always wary of making generalisations about a continent that is so culturally and economically diverse. Analysis of the McKinsey report by the Harvard Business Review shows that it’s much easier, and safer, to do business in countries such as South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Kenya and Ghana than it is in Angola, Congo or Mali. To compare the economy of Africa to that of India or China fails to take account of the fact that these economies are developing at vastly different paces, with diverse industries and varied ways of doing business. They also fail to take into account how vulnerable many of these countries are to political unrest: the Arab Spring has already rendered many of the statistics out-of-date.

But it’s difficult to dispute that growth in many African countries will mean that more and more business travellers will need to understand the particularities of doing business in this part of the world.

From my very limited experience, I can draw the following conclusions about travel in west Africa:

1. Don’t travel by bus. Archaic reservation systems meant that I spent hours of my trip in sweltering bus stations waiting for buses that sometimes never arrived, and it’s not much better when you’re on the bus: one road was so bumpy that the journey was akin to crossing several thousand cattle grids, not helped by the fact that the headlights were broken for most of the journey. If you have to travel by bus, use upmarket brands such as the STC buses in Ghana, which are air conditioned and comfortable. Unfortunately, they’re not available on all routes. If your budget permits, I’d recommend hiring a driver, preferably with a 4x4 to tackle the difficult roads, so you can enjoy long and short-distance journeys in air conditioned comfort.

2. Be adventurous and try the food. In Ghana most food takes the form of some kind of carbohydrate with a tomato-based sauce, and it’s the same across much of west Africa. It doesn’t sound too appealing, but I found most of the food flavoursome and filling, from red red (fried plantain with beans in a spicy sauce) to kenkey (fermented maize with, erm, a spicy sauce).

3. Be patient. The relaxed attitude to life in Ghana, and much of west Africa, can be exasperating and entertaining in equal measure. It’s frustrating for a Brit when a meeting arranged for 10 minutes’ time takes place 30 minutes later, when people leave the office mid-afternoon and never return, or when someone takes a nap at their desk (it happens). But to keep your blood pressure down and ensure productive communication, try to strike a compromise between contrasting cultural expectations. Try to embrace ‘Africa time’ to some extent and accept that meetings may not always take place on time. But don’t be afraid to gently make suggestions, or regular reminders, to make sure that work gets done. Many people will be interested to hear about workplace practices in the UK, if you don’t explicitly criticise their way of life.

4. ‘Good morning’ is never quite enough. Extended greetings are a huge part of Ghanaian culture and a missed greeting can cause offence, particularly if you’ve been away from the office. The first time I visited my friend’s office, I spent an hour or so introducing myself to every one of her colleagues. This tradition ensures everyone knows each other well, even in larger businesses, and I’ve never felt more welcomed, although my mouth ached a little from all the smiling.

My advice to business travellers apprehensive about travel to Africa is that there’s something infectious about the energy and addictive about the chaos. Greet the people there with an open mind and they’ll welcome you with open arms.

Samantha Cox, Website Content Co-ordinator