A television shoot in Egypt for BBC World News and Bloomberg shouldn’t be that difficult to organise, right? Well, my experience as producer on this project was nail-biting and stressful, to say the very least.
Yes, the trip went ahead, but the time, effort and investment needed to make it happen raised a lot of eyebrows. There were continual meetings on whether we should cancel, as well as many discussions over security issues.
It didn’t help that our reporter was flying from Lagos, Nigeria, but had to get a visa in person from the capital, Abuja, from a haphazard, under-funded Egyptian embassy. Then we had to organise our camera crew, who were flying in from the UK with an official document registering the kit, and deposits for its safe return.
We had to book at the very last minute, after receiving all the permissions – this saw prices rocket for both flights and hotels. Many people think travelling to Africa is cheaper than other regions, but I can categorically assure you it isn’t.
We racked up costs from having our reporter wait around the Egyptian embassy in Abuja for days with no real timetable for acquiring a visa, or accountability from the authorities. We also had to hire security people in Egypt to accompany us on the shoot. A bomb went off in Cairo while our crew was out there.
The only thing that saved us was a local producer on the ground in the Egyptian capital. Our TMC assisted up to a point, but it’s the depth of local knowledge that really helped – not just for visas, but also for security and real local detail. I believe it can make or break a trip.
Here are the lessons I’ve learnt. First, cost: you need contingency money. The strategic priority for managers may be cost control, but in Africa, ensuring traveller safety ends up trumping all other considerations.
Second, take on someone with direct on-the-ground experience to help you – it counts for a lot in Africa.
Third, allow for the time things tend to take. As Stuart Lowman, senior editor at Bloomberg TV Africa, told me: “It’s Africa: everything takes a lot longer than you think. As long as everyone realises that, it’s totally fine.”
Finally, there is also often a lack of preparation on the travellers’ behalf in advance of any trip to Africa. Each executive needs to be a little bit more prepared with documents, knowledge, lists and telephone numbers.
Click here for top tips on managing travel in Africa
Read the full destination report on Africa here