Individuals are turning to business to improve their income in a changing global economy. These 99+ small business ideas perfect for Africa prepare you for setting up your own business in Africa. World over, investing in Africa is a widespread discussion that both Africans and foreigners are interested in.
The way Africans do business in their continent differs from how others do their own. For instance, you need specific licenses and registrations to operate certain small businesses in the West. Still, in some parts of Africa, you don’t necessarily have to have all that before starting. This fact alone makes it easier to launch small businesses in Africa.
Find Profitable Small Business Ideas Best For You
Contrary to widely held opinion, capital is not the number one challenge of starting a new business. The right business idea is. A potentially profitable business begins with a viable business idea. We will now talk about the different categories of small business ideas list perfect for Africa.
Table Of Contents
A. Fashion
Fashion is a famous line of business in Africa. African dressing styles are in increased demand across the world today. African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast, Benin, and Senegal make unique fashion pieces that appeal to a global audience.
There are many profitable small business ideas in the fashion industry to start and earn a better living. Let’s take a look at the top 10 business ideas in a fashion perfect for Africa.
1. Clothing Line
Every famous clothing brand in the marketplace today has an origin story. Establishing your clothing line can be such a rewarding enterprise. The fantastic thing is that you don’t necessarily have to become a designer yourself to start your very own clothing line. You can have a contract with some excellent designers in Africa to design under your label. A passion and some sound business acumen are all you need to get started.
2. Bag & Shoe Making
Bags and shoes are accessories that complete every fashion story. Given that both items are often cut from the same material (such as leather, suede, etc.), it makes perfect sense to establish a business dealing in both.
Just like starting a clothing line, you can either learn the arts of bag and shoe making yourself or contract independent designers to manufacture under your brand name. Whichever way you go, the most important thing for a business invested in fashion is to develop and secure the demand end of your business.
3. Jewelry Making
No true lover of fashion can do without wearing some jewelry. Many are doing great in the industry. Going straight to compete with the experienced sellers or being too broad in your market positioning may not help much. There are different categories of jewelry in the marketplace. They range from wristwatches and ornamental jewelry to beads and necklaces.
You can learn to make these items or contract out its making while maintaining your brand name. One of the small business ideas that can bring in a passive income.
4. Briefs & Undergarment Brand
The demand for undergarments is unending. The market is significant for new entrants, ranging from underpants to vests, especially female panties, brassieres, and lingerie.
You can acquire the needed design skills or work with independent designers to establish your brand.
5. Tailoring Material Sales
All the material needed to run a successful clothing company is somebody else’s business. You can become a supplier of tailoring materials such as fabrics, leather, buttons, threads, needle, and even branding labels. Depending on your investment capital, you can become either a wholesaler or retailer of tailoring materials. Both are good lines of business with the potentials to grow bigger in Africa.
6. Modeling Agency
All that beauty and glamour you see on TV screens and during fashion weeks is somebody’s business. Often, when iconic brands wish to showcase their latest fashion inventions, they hire models from modeling agencies to give their brand a face.
Two of the basic things you need to start a modeling agency are a location and some models (both male and female) with beautiful bodies to work with.
7. Fashion Store/Boutique
If you are interested in sales and marketing, you can invest in the world of fashion by owning a boutique. The boutique business does not require you to have your fashion brand. Your store is a sales point for quality fashion brands of other manufacturers. You can choose to deal exclusively on clothes or shoes or bags or a combination of all three of them.
Depending on what vision you have for your business, you can expand by establishing more business chains at popular locations such as shopping malls and busy streets.
8. Costume Rentals
The costume rental business is a rewarding prop business. There are different reasons people may need to rent a costume. It could be for a real movie, a school drama, a carnival or festival, or any special occasion.
You can become a successful business person in costume rental by finding out what costumes are in great demand and having them in your collection.
9. Bridal Couture
Year in year out, couples get married. One thing that is rarely missing in any wedding is a proper wedding dress. It offers an excellent opportunity for business-minded individuals to invest in bridal outfits as a business. Depending on what you want, you can do a business by designing exclusively bridal outfits like wedding dresses, flower girl gowns, shoes, bags, jewelry, etc.
Alternatively, you can set up a bridal outfit rental business. Your skillset and capacity will determine which you go into and how you expand your business in the long run.
10. Fashion Design School
What could be more fulfilling than teaching others to do what you know to do? If you enjoy teaching and have fashion design skills, you can package your passion and talent into profitable business ideas for others.
B. Importation
Industrialization is still low in many parts of the African continent. As a result, most countries depend mainly on imported commodities. So, this makes importation a profitable venture in Africa. The big guns in the importation business often have their products branded in their brand names before importing. Dropshipping is one of the home business ideas available for mini importers who do not own a shop.
Several hot selling items can be imported into Africa by anyone looking at going into the importation business. These include but are not limited to:
11. Gadgets/Electronics
Gadgets and electronics sit at the top of most bought items of the 21st century. Importing them into Africa, where its manufacturing is still very low, is a promising venture. Another side of this business is that you can also do a business out of importing second-hand electronics used in the West. There’s a large market for foreign-used smartphones, TVs, DVD Players, Speakers, Blenders, Iron, Kitchen equipment in West African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin, etc.
12. Vehicle importation
Vehicle importation is good business in Africa. Both new and used vehicles are in great demand daily. However, you need a comprehensive guide on car importation to Africa to succeed in this line of business.
Apart from brand new vehicles, foreign-used passenger cars, trucks, and motorcycles are top-selling vehicles you can import to Africa.
13. Importing fashion items
These include clothes, shoes, caps, jewelry, and any other piece of fashion item you can think of. This business idea offers an excellent opportunity to drop-shippers who do not have significant capital to invest in full-scale importation of these items.
14. Kitchen Equipment
Everything kitchen equipment, both new and fairly used, is a hot-selling product in Africa. You can make a good amount of profit importing and reselling them to customers in your country.
Depending on your operating capital, you can venture into this business either as a wholesaler or retailer.
15. Industrial Raw Materials
Raw materials are an essential ingredient of manufacturing in Africa. Although Africa is a continent with a large deposit of naturally occurring resources such as minerals, many raw materials used in African industries are still imported overseas.
Industrial raw materials in demand include production chemicals like soda ash, PET resins, perfumes, and flavors, among some other materials.
16. Machinery Importation
Daily, thousands of machinery leave the shores of Asia, Europe, and America en route to Africa, where they are to be installed for manufacturing purposes.
As a business person, you can find a niche in purchasing such machinery by becoming a go-between for companies and manufacturers. Importing fast-selling types of machinery like generators, water pumps, bottling, and canning machinery are all profitable business ideas.
17. Medical supplies
Medical supplies are one of the essential items importers can import into the continent of Africa and make good profits. It can start from pharmaceutical items to walking aids to hospital equipment. The list is just endless. Given that the list of medical supplies is so broad, you might choose to import only one or two lesser capital-intensive supplies, e.g., hand gloves, scrubs, or PPEs. However, check the importation policy of your country before starting.
18. Phone and Laptop Accessories
Phones and laptops are hot selling products a budding importer can venture into. It offers good returns. Apart from phones and laptops, its accessories like chargers, batteries, memory cards, earpieces, screens, and headsets, among many others, are cheaper products in the same niche of business that are equally fast selling.
This business grants you the opportunity to start on a minor scale, possible as a drop shipper or a large scale as a distributor.
19. Packaging Materials
Packaging materials include PET bottles, nylon bags, pouches, paper bags, sacks, and craft bags, among many others. These packaging materials are crucial to small-scale manufacturers who are still building capacity before manufacturing their packaging from scratch.
20. Textile Materials
If there’s one thing to know about Africans, it is the fact that we love tailor-made clothes. As a businessman, you can make so much money dealing in textile materials used for this wears. Textile materials include silk, cotton, chiffon, satin, crepe, damask, etc. They are materials used for making wearables such as trousers, shirts, gowns, pants for both men and women.
C. Manufacturing/Production
Manufacturing is one of the major economic drivers of every economy. Not only is manufacturing advantageous, but it also creates employment for the general populace. Do you have a flair for manufacturing things? These manufacturing small business ideas are perfect for the African marketplace.
21. Industrial Chemicals production
Industrial chemicals are used in the production of other chemical products. Commonly used chemicals by industries include cleaning chemicals like soda ash, sodium carbonate, hydrochloric acid, among many others. In reality, industrial chemicals cut across pharmaceutical chemicals, agricultural chemicals, cosmetic chemicals, and construction chemicals. The business of manufacturing either of the numerous chemicals used in each industry can be advantageous.
However, you need the necessary expertise to be engaged in this business. If you lack the qualification and expertise needed, the good news is that you can hire people with the proper knowledge to work with you in this business.
22. Paint production
The painting industry offers money-making opportunities for players in the industry. The good thing about this business is that you can start on a small scale and grow there. A good market strategy to use for this business is the “from factory to store” APPROACH. It involves owning a store where you sell the products from your factory.
23. Soap & Detergent Making
Soaps and detergents are some of the most commonly used consumables in households. The market for soaps is rarely saturated. Some famous brands have been around for a long time, telling us that soap-makers can succeed if you have your well-refined production concept.
Its making can turn out to be a rewarding business for small-scale manufacturers.
24. Paper Making
The need for paper and paper-based materials is almost endless in everyday life. It includes writing books, jotters, sticky papers, printing papers, envelopes, and cardboard papers. With proper business planning and execution, a successful business with rewarding profits can be built manufacturing any of those.
25. Winemaking
The winemaking industry is unexplored territory at the moment in Africa. There aren’t many companies in the business of winemaking. With the necessary licenses and registrations, you can make good profits running a winery.
26. Hair & Body Care Products Production
Cosmetics are an essential part of everyday life for women, men, and children. World over, it is ideal for people to want to look good. Every day in our lives, a new product is introduced into the marketplace. You, too, can own your business with a focus on hair and body care products. The good thing is you can start with standard products such as shampoos, nail polishes, acrylics, powder, and perfumes before diversifying or upgrading to other complex products.
27. Fertilizer Production
Africa is significant in agriculture. It creates a large market for all kinds of fertilizers. As a fertilizer manufacturer, you become the farmer’s friend. The benefits of fertilizers on plants are immeasurable. It is how farmers make maximized profits from their many days of labor on the farm.
Before adding several other styles to your brand, you may want to start with the popular fertilizer type, such as N: P: K.
28. Food Products Production
Food products include commercially packaged foods to increased shelf life. The list of food products that you can work with is almost inexhaustible. Soups, vegetables, grains, meat, and you can package fish into foods and snacks for future use.
Commercially packaged African foods are in great demand by those living abroad who like to take some African food along with them.
29. Recycling
Recycling is another excellent business opportunity in Africa for people with good business acumen. Africa is the final destination of both new and used products from Asia, Europe, and America.
Ranging from metal to plastic to textile recyclables, you can earn foreign exchange by retrieving them from dumpsters and households for export or recycling in the country.
30. Packaging Material Manufacturing
Packaging solutions are still a largely unsolved problem in Africa. It is one of the top small business ideas perfect for Africa. Manufacturing companies constantly need packaging materials ranging from nylon bags to plastics, bottles, sacks, and cartons.
It offers a good business opportunity to manufacturers of such packaging materials to step in and harness the plentiful options.
D. Food & Agric businesses
What is that one thing everyone can’t do without daily? Food and water, you would agree. That process of growing food from nature is known as Agriculture. The categories of agriculture are well-broadly. They range from animal farming and beyond house plants.
Let us now talk about the most profitable business ideas in the African food and agricultural sector. Shall we?
31. Restaurant
A restaurant is a rewarding age-long business. We will always have restaurants with us. In Africa, many family recipes need to be shared with the rest of the world. For example, the Enugu people of Eastern Nigeria are known to make the best African salads (Abacha).
If you enjoy the art of food making, starting your restaurant allows you to showcase your passion, family recipe, or culinary skills while earning good rewards.
32. Confectioneries
Confectioneries are the branch of food making that caters to all your favorite baked foods. It includes bread cakes, pizzas, samosa, small chops, and all whatnots.
.For birthdays, weddings, and all kinds of parties, occasions abound for which people require cakes and other confectioneries. It creates an opportunity for you to run a successful confectionery business if you have the necessary skills and business acumen.
33. Fish Farming
Fish farming is the rearing of fish for commercial purposes. The most common fish eaten in Africa include catfish, tilapia, red snapper, sea bream, croaker, mackerel, and cassava fish.
You need fish ponds and fingerlings and a supply of fish food to start up your aquaculture. You must have a good marketing plan for your fish at maturity.
34. Rice Farming
Rice is a popularly eaten food in Africa. It is the staple food of most African homes. There’s never an excess supply of rice on the continent of Africa. Reason rice import from Thailand to some parts of Africa is still favored.
With the governments of Africa, I am still working on increasing local production. You can build a profitable business as an Agripreneur in rice production. You will need a large expanse of land, good rice seedlings, and a workforce to start your rice farming business.
35. Fruits & Vegetable Farming
The market rewards fruit and vegetable farmers from tomatoes, peppers, carrots, garlic, onion, berries, apples, and green vegetables. You can supply wholesalers and retailers directly from your farm.
Although there is the nitty-gritty of this business, like preservation and mode of transportation, that you need to consider before starting, it offers happy returns to its owners.
36. Poultry Farming
It includes chicken and turkey farming, among other poultry products depending on which is of greater business interest to you. Apart from poultry farming for meat, you can choose to go into egg production. Here you will need to invest in the egg-laying breeds of chicken. Meat and egg are essential food commodities that people eat daily.
37. Livestock Farming
Meat is an essential food commodity that families and businesses require daily. Livestock farming includes cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs, among much other livestock. Beyond the rearing and supply of these animals, you can also choose to own your slaughterhouse, where you can sell already processed meat to customers daily.
38. Bee Farming
Bee farming, also known as apiculture, is the keeping of honey bees. Honey is a source of income for bee farmers. It is not as capital intensive to set up a bee farm as set up several other businesses. It is one of the most profitable home business ideas perfect for Africa.
39. Oil Processing
Oil processing is a significant business venture for people interested in Agribusiness. You can process Soya, peanut, palm fruit into healthy edible vegetable oil for home use.
40. Farm Equipment Rental
Farm equipment rental is another profitable business enterprise for Agripreneurs. You can invest in a store load of expensive farm equipment like tractors, diggers, and sprayers, which farmers can hire for a price. It is a good business venture for individuals who do not want to go into full-time farming but want to earn from farming activities.
E. Content Creation
Content creation sits in the center of everything else. You may wonder how so? The reason is that you can create content out of any other sector you are involved in. For instance, you can create a YouTube channel for your fish farming to help other farmers learn about fish farming. Aside from the fact that you are educating others with your content, you can earn from it.
Content creation is a very diverse sector. It includes the likes of movie making and entertainment as a whole. The purpose of content creation is for education, awareness, and entertainment.
We will discuss the following content creation niches in just a bit.
41. Article Writing
In today’s digital space, there are a lot of opportunities for independent and freelance writers. You can sign up with freelance sites like Fiver, Freelancer, Upwork, and Amazon, where you can bid for writing jobs and market your writings.
It offers opportunities for independent writers who are looking to create an alternate source of income.
42. Blogging
Blogging is a form of content creation that is similar to article writing. The difference is that you publish your articles on a blog where readers can visit to read them. Traffic generated from blog visits can be converted into money by serving paid ads like Google Adsense, AdWord, and Admob.
43. Vlogging
Vlogging is one of the small business ideas under content creation that is also similar to blogging. The difference between the both is that while blogging has to do with writing, vlog has to do with videos. The exact mode of earning money applies to both, which is through paid ads.
44. Graphics Design
Graphics beautifies the digital space. To be a graphic designer gives you a chance to work from anywhere. You connect with your customers all over the world. And your work is to create content. Graphic design companies exist on the internet, ready to undertake any visual design needs of internet-based businesses. With the right skills, you can build a successful graphic design business.
45. Programming/Web Design
Programming and web design is the creation of tech solutions and digital spaces for businesses. You can build a successful programming or website design business for yourself. However, this type of business requires that the forerunner possess the skills necessary to get things done. Another opportunity is to start SEO On-page and Off-page agency then you offer your clients services to create or update their Google My Business profile.
46. Photography
Photography is still a profitable business in Africa today. From capturing wedding ceremonies to birthday and graduation parties and paparazzi, the list is endless. However, you must add photo editing to the list of your skills to stand out in the photography business. You can also have your studio where customers can come in to have their professional photographs taken.
47. Video Editing
Video editing is the branch of content creation and photography that makes sure videos turn out well. It concerns itself with editing errors, chronological order, and film effects.
You can make good money as an independent video editor working with movie producers and brands to make sure their brand videos turn out well.
48. Music & Film Making
Music and film are marketable arts. Music and filmmakers are businessmen who entertain their fans with their voices and acts in exchange for payment. If you are good at singing or acting, you can package these skills into a business.
49. Documentaries
The documentary is a more formal type of filmmaking with a purpose to educate. You can run documentaries about animals, places, persons and even events. You can grow a profitable small business by creating documentaries that educate and inform the public.
50. Journalism/ Social Media Influencing
Journalism is a medium of content creation for television channels, TV stations, and social media platforms. While you might not have your on-air TV or radio, you can work as an independent TV host for TV stations and radio channels.
Alternatively, social media today offers everyone an opportunity to broadcast to the world from the comfort of their own homes. Building your online influence can position you to function as an influencer for brands that resonate with your audience.
F. Transportation
There are different transportation-based small business ideas perfect for Africa. This business offers you the option of starting small or big. If your starting budget is large, you can begin as a mini transport company with 5 – 10 vehicles in your fleet. On the other hand, if your budget is for one car, you can start with Uber, tuk-tuk (Keke Napep).
Let us now explore profitable businesses in the transportation sector in more detail. They include:
51. Uber Driving
Uber is an on-demand taxi-hailing service. If you already have a personal car, you can use it for Uber. You can also ride another person’s vehicle while you both share profits. There are several industry players in the e-hailing taxi service, like Bolt, formerly known as Taxify.
52. Tricycle Riding
Tricycle is a means of commuting locally in some countries in Africa. It is popularly known as Keke, Tuk Tuk, Maruwa, among other names. Passengers have to pay a token ranging from $0.2 – $1, depending on the distance traveled. It is a profitable one-person business and costs cheaper than a car to acquire.
53. Dispatch/Delivery Service
Dispatch/delivery service includes home delivery of goods purchased online or from a seller to a buyer. It is an essential service in big cities where a buyer lives quite far from the seller and might not want to make a trip to the seller’s store. A dispatch rider can make his deliveries either with a motorcycle, car, or van. It depends on the item or goods to be delivered.
54. Haulage Business e.g. tanker, tipper etc.
Opportunities abound in the haulage business. You can haul sand, gravel, water, or any other construction or industrial materials for clients. Similar opportunities exist in delivering goods from the manufacturers’ warehouse to warehouses of the wholesalers or distributors.
A moving company is also into haulage business. One can do Haulage business with different types and sizes of trucks and vans.
55. Intra/Inter-State Transportation
Before traveling around the African region, bus rides are not uncommon within the city and neighboring towns. For instance, you can get a bus ride from Nigeria to Ghana in West Africa. Whether you are the bus driver, bus owner, or Bus Company, you are a relevant player in the transportation business.
56. Courier Service
It is pretty similar to the dispatch business, but it concerns itself with delivering locally and internationally parcels. An excellent example of a successful courier service is DHL, UPS, and FEDEX.
57. Shipping Business
Shipping has to do with air freight or sea shipping of parcels and goods. Importers and exporters often need shipping companies to help them consignee their containers or packages to their destination country—your opportunity to become a businessman.
58. Private Jet/Helicopter Charter
Celebrities and politicians often need to charter a private flight to their destination. It is a flashy service that allows dogged business people to step in and offer this service for great returns.
59. Idea (coming soon…)
60. Idea (coming soon…)
G. Small Retail Businesses
Retail businesses have been with us since the beginning of time. While there’s nothing novel about most retail companies, they are necessary among any community of people. A retail business allows you to own your own business even with a bit of startup capital. Let us now look at some of the hot retail companies right now:
61. Grocery Shop
A grocery shop, also known as a provision shop, is a mini shopping mall where you can get household items within your neighborhood. Things like milk, sugar, soaps and toiletries are sold in grocery shops. Some grocery shop owners also include food items to increase sales and make more profit. To start a grocery shop, you need a shop or kiosk and counters to display your goods.
62. Salon & Spa
Hair salons and spas for both males and females are essential needs in every community of people. The males need to cut their hair at least every 1 to 2 weeks. The females need to change their hairdo every 2 to 4 weeks.
As a barber or hairstylist, this allows you to step in and offer your services. It is better to have your business in a location where there is a lot of footfall, such as shopping malls, busy streets, schools, etc.
63. Popcorn Stand
Popcorn is a straightforward snack to prepare that has gained popularity all over the world. People naturally would grab some popcorn for game nights and movie nights too. On other days, freshly made popcorn just calls passersby to have some. It allows you to try this simple business out of other more tasking home business ideas out there.
64. Ice Cream Shop/Truck
Adult and children love ice cream. Starting an ice cream business is a good idea, especially if you are in a location where children and females frequent. Two ways you can sell ice cream to the public are either in a stationary ice cream shop or a mobile ice cream truck.
65. Snack Shop
Snacks range from buns, samosa, puff-puff, donuts, spring rolls, among other local snacks peculiar to your region. You can find a creative way to package your own snacks business in a way that will appeal to customers.
66. Fresh Bread
Bread is an essential daily food in the lives of families. If you have some baking skills, you can open your bread shop serving oven-fresh bread. Alternatively, you can hire hands to bake and market your bread while you oversee things.
67. Cosmetics Shop
Cosmetic shops deal with varieties of body and hair care products. Ranging from bath soaps to body lotions and hair dyes can be bought from a cosmetic shop. As a business person that wants to go into this line of business, you can have your shop in a market, busy street, or within a students’ hostel.
68. Fruits & Vegetable Business
Fruits and vegetables are essential commodities for daily living. You can grow a profitable business supplying fresh fruits and vegetables to shops or selling directly to the public.
69. Pawn Shop
Although not a popular business in Africa yet, it can be profitable for the early birds. The pawn business has to do with turning over unused or old items in your home to a pawn shop in exchange for money. Some pawn shops allow you to redeem items before a stipulated time, after which it becomes the sole property of the shop to sell.
70. Cleaning Agency
Cleaning is an essential service in big cities. You can start up small with a couple of workers and increase as your client base increases.
H. Automobile Industry
The automobile industry offers rewarding earning opportunities for businesses in the industry. In contrast, some firms in this industry will require a robust budget, while you can start car washes and auto repair shops with a modest budget.
Let us look at the list of small businesses ideas perfect for Africa that you can choose from.
71. Car Shipping
Shipping of automobiles from abroad to Africa is another profitable business you can venture into. You can partner with more prominent shipping companies to ship clients’ vehicles from anywhere in the world for shipping.
72. Car Dealership
Car dealerships are involved with the sales of automobiles, both new and old. This business can be privately owned by one person or in partnership with others.
73. Car Rental
Car rental businesses favor foreigners or travelers in a location far away from home who need a personal vehicle while in town. Car rental companies structure their charges on hourly and daily rates.
74. Auto Repair Shop
An auto repair shop is a necessity for everyone who owns or at least drives a car. From bodywork, paint jobs to routine vehicle maintenance like oil change, wheel alignment, and brake pad change, you can offer regular services to customers and get paid handsomely.
75. Vulcanizer
Vulcanizers are small businessmen on standby to pump or patch up your car tires when they go flat. They usually locate their business along busy roads, junctions, and service stations.
76. Car Wash Business
Car wash is another lucrative business in the automobile industry. However, you will need a spacious, good location and car wash boys to wash customers’ cars. Depending on your capacity, you will need car wash equipment to attract a high volume of customers.
77. Car Technician
Car technicians work on the electrical and electronic repairs of a car. It is a profitable business but requires you to have the specialized skill to become a certified professional in this line of business.
78. Car Delivery
It is more of a service-based business for experienced drivers. You can deliver newly bought cars to their owners in distant locations for a fee. Also, you can provide luxury cars for owners who are changing locations.
79. Spare Parts Sales
Spare parts are essential in the automobile industry. Virtually every car part in a vehicle would require changing at some point in the vehicle’s life. You can understudy someone in the motor spare parts business before starting your own vehicle spare part business.
Given that the capital required for the spare parts business is vast, you may want to deal with spare parts of a particular vehicle brand for a start.
80. Transportation
Several transportation profitable businesses ideas exist in the automobile industry. As a vehicle importer, you can offer a hire purchase option to bus drivers, Uber drivers, and Keke riders. You can also go into vehicle leasing and vehicle maintenance businesses.
I. Hospitality & Tourism
The hospitality and tourism industry in Africa is still largely unexplored. You can turn many small business ideas into successful businesses, from travel agencies to hotel reservation and booking companies.
Let’s have a look at all the business opportunities that exist in travel and tourism.
81. Lodging
Lodging and accommodation is a big business the world over. Daily, thousands of people travel through the continent of Africa. Starting from hotels to Airbnb, many lodging options exist for travelers to choose from. Building or leasing your hotel or registering your apartment on Airbnb is an excellent way to earn money from the travel industry.
82. Restaurant
Restaurants are a good source of income for business people who want to make it in the travel and tourism industry. Both fancy and regular-style restaurants are hot selling as long as the food is excellent and the staff is courteous.
83. Private Tour Guide Company
Tourism companies are one of the businesses that suffer the pandemic, but they are gradually coming back to life. It is beneficial for vacation goers who require help locating all the friendly locations to go. However, be ready to make your service relevant by choosing a small area and offering what is missing.
This business presents a beautiful opportunity for private tour companies to step in and earn from the industry. They are beneficial for organizing vacation trips in groups which makes it more fun for participants. Well, it depends on the security situation in the location you want to offer the service.
84. Art Making
A lot of people tend to collect works of art when they travel to new destinations. Famous works of art are fast selling. Other unique works of African arts also appeal to visitors to the African continent. If you are an artist or have a passion for the Arts business, you can make or supply works of art to visitors and vacationers to Africa.4
85. Craft Making
Craft is similar to art but different in that it has to do with not necessarily artistic items. A good example is a crafted African handbag: hand fan or footwear. They can be unique items that showcase the culture and style of a particular region. A good example is the rainbow color knitted headcover, popular in Jamaica. You can build a good business by becoming a crafts maker or supplier.
86. Travel Agency
Travel agencies are relevant in the travel and tourism industry. It is beneficial for vacation goers and travelers who often need help with flight booking, lodging, and assistance with getting around unknown destinations where they vacation in. This industry presents a beautiful opportunity for the business of travel agencies to step in and meet these needs.
87. Luggage Delivery Service
Luggage delivery service helps travelers travel light. They handle the transportation and eventual delivery of their luggage. It is one of the small business ideas that you can kickstart with little capital.
88. Car Rental
Car rentals are an important business in the travel industry. Car rental companies can partner with travel agencies and private tour guide companies to provide rides for vacationers. It is good business for growing companies with several passenger cars in their fleet.
89. Event Planner
Event planning is a hot-selling business at the moment. It presents an opportunity for businessmen and women to train in event planning and management and establish a business out of it. It ranges from celebrity weddings, birthdays, and anniversary parties to events and award ceremonies. Such events always require event planners to bring all the lightings and paparazzi to the event.
90. Idea coming soon
J. Sundry Services
Sundry services businesses can come from any skill or qualification that you have. If you have skills like painting or plumbing, you can package them into a proper business or company. Also, with the suitable qualification, you can set up a private practice such as a vet or dental clinic, law practice, and even chiropractics.
Top-selling sundry services businesses include:
91. Electrician
Electricians are in the service of wiring new buildings and maintaining the wire works of old buildings. It is a specialized industry business, and you will need to acquire the necessary and sometimes certifications before you can be certified.
92. Plumbing
Plumbers handle all the plumbing works in a building. They are starting from fresh piping for new buildings to repair plumbing like clogged sinks and WCs. Like most essential services, you will need to acquire the necessary skills to run a successful plumbing business.
93. Painting
Painting is a service industry business in great demand. Depending on how you want to run this business, it can be an advantageous one for you. Some painters in Africa manufacture or mix their paints, while others paint with already manufactured colors.
94. Handy Man
Handymen are the fix-it-men that come in to fix anything faulty in people’s homes. It can range from the clogged sink to broken wares or faulty electronics. While you do not need any special skill qualification to become a handyman, it can become a profitable business if you are very creative and hands-on.
95. Morticians
Morticians are in the business of embalming and preserving corpses. Apart from government-owned morgues, private individuals go into this line of business to complement the existing morgues.
96. Tiling
The business of tiling is done after building a house. To become a professional tiller, you need to acquire the required skill set.
97. Carpentry
Carpentry is another line of work that you can turn into a profitable business. Just like most sundry services, you need a specialized skill set to become a carpenter.
98. Architect
An architect is a man that design houses and other constructions on the paper way before it comes to life. You can package architecture into a successful business. However, you need a suitable qualification and skill set for architectural designs.
99. Interior Decorator
After a house is built and done, the interior decorators step in to give it some aesthetic. It is an incredibly profitable line of business if you target luxury apartments, hotels, and high-brow office buildings.
100. Property Agent
Property agents are businessmen in the real estate business who partner with houses and landowners to market property to buyers. Although this line of business is usually commission-based and could be slow at times, it could come with great rewards when you eventually sell your corner-piece properties. There is a wide range of small business ideas in this sector that can also be highly profitable.
Conclusion
While you search for the perfect business idea to explore, have it in mind that no two business persons are the same. These 99+ small business ideas perfect for Africa can be grown into successful business ideas that can stand the test of time. Therefore, you have to work hard at your end to ensure the success of any of these profitable business ideas you finally decide to go into.