Africa

Work

It’s hard for outsiders to find work in most African countries, as high unemployment means a huge number of local people chase every job vacancy. You will also need a work permit, and these are usually hard to get as priority is rightly given to qualified locals over travellers.

If you’re skilled in computing/web design, healthcare professions, engineering, teaching, journalism or safari guiding you’ll have a good chance of picking up a job eventually, but it’s likely to be a long and bureaucratic process. You’re unlikely to see many jobs advertised, so the best way to find out about them is by asking around among the expatriate community.

Business hours

Across Africa, official places like embassies, tourist bureaus and travel agencies open from around 8am or 9am to around 4pm or 5pm, Monday to Friday (although most embassies are only open to the public during the morning – so that’s when you need to apply for visas).

In most countries throughout Africa, shops keep similar hours and are usually open on Saturday too (as are some travel agencies). Smaller shops and market stalls do not keep strict business hours at all. When there are customers around, the shopkeepers are behind their counters ready to serve, and when everyone is asleep in the heat of the afternoon, they are snoring round the back. In most cities, many shops and supermarkets stay open until late in the evening and on Saturday too, although only the largest are open on Sunday.

In East and southern Africa, shops and offices close for an hour or so around noon. In North, West and Central Africa, the noon break can be two to four hours long, and businesses may stay open until 7pm or 8pm, sometimes later. Places like phone and internet bureaus keep much longer hours.

Banks in most African countries are open Monday to Friday from 8am or 9am to around 2pm or 3pm. Some banks will even shut at noon.

In Islamic countries, businesses (especially banks and embassies) may close all day on Friday, or have an extended lunch break (prayer-break, actually). During the Islamic fasting period of Ramadan, many businesses shut up shop at lunchtime and don’t reopen.

Most cafés and smaller restaurants offer lunch from around noon to 2pm (for locals it’s the main meal of the day) and dinner in the evening from around 5pm to 7pm. Larger restaurants catering for more affluent locals and tourists keep the same lunch hours, but open later in the evening, usually from around 7pm to 10pm or later. Many restaurants open all day.