Business browser
Every issue we review businesses, products and meet people behind key organisations across the Brussels Airlines network
ORGANISATION TO KNOW
Bringing business to Africa
One organisation that is seeking to turn the current instability in global food supply into an opportunity for the African agricultural sector is EMRC, a non-profit association that promotes global trade relations. EMRC’s AgriBusiness Forum, scheduled for June 2009, will present alternative approaches to the continent’s agricultural development and plans to increase food production. Established in Brussels in 1992, the organisation encourages investment and entrepreneurship in Africa through global business partnerships. It hosted the Africa Finance & Investment Forum in Paris in December of last year. www.emrc.be
Q&A BIMBOLA CARROL
Meet the 31-year old who set up the Freetown-based tourism company Visit Sierra Leone (VSL: www.visitsierraleone.org) just over a year ago
Why did you decide to start VSL?
There was no travel information on Sierra Leone and I wanted to provide something positive so people could see another side of the country. How big is tourism at the moment? It’s small but numbers are going up and I see huge potential. Holidaymakers are mostly visiting family or friends who live or work here, but we also have independent bookings from America, Sweden and elsewhere. What makes you successful? I think I got in early. I started the website in 2004, when no one was thinking about tourism, and it’s been growing ever since. Now we get more than a million hits a month, so I’m busy selling hotel rooms, organising hire cars and visas and creating tourist itineraries.
What’s new for 2009?
Visitors can stay at Tacugama, the chimp sanctuary just outside Freetown, which now has three lodges, and I’m keen to help people explore the rich wildlife of the north and the Loma mountains. You can also still have the beaches – even the famed River No 2 – to yourself.
What keeps you going?
Very few people can say they enjoy what they do – my work almost doesn’t feel like work. It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people, and unlike diamonds and other raw materials, if it’s managed properly tourism will never run out. It can also have a direct impact on the local community. The potential is so huge it gives me energy to keep going.
GADGET CORNER
Pocket pictures
Your pockets are going to get pretty full with all the pint-sized gadgetry that’s at your fingertips. But the Flip Mino is definitely worth getting excited about. Sleek to look at and simple to use the camcorder has 2GB of memory, can shoot up to 60 minutes of filming and connects straight to your computer via USB. Retailing for around €138.77 ($179.99), www.theflip.com
INVESTMENT BYTES
Bugs that bring light
An innovative battery, made from simple materials such as manure, graphite cloth and soil, may soon revolutionise electricity supplies to African households. Lebônê Solutions – founded by African students at Harvard University – has been pioneering a prototype microbial fuel cell, which powers an LED lamp, following a €160,000 grant from the World Bank. www.lebone.org
Uganda goes Orange
Mobile use in Uganda is set to rise after an announcement by France Telecom that it will launch its Orange mobile network in the country. The industry giant has joined forces with Ugandan mobile operator Hits Telecom to launch Orange Uganda Ltd, and now plans a €160m investment package in the country over the 
next three years. www.francetelecom.com
THE LAST WORD
Think again
Policymakers and travel professionals should check out the new online East Africa Think Tank (www.trekeastafrica.com), which provides regular updates and a forum for discussion on the region’s tourism sector.