Diversification was the Catchphrase in the mouth of everyone at the recently concluded US-Africa Business Forum in New York. It’s not a new concept for discussions of Africa’s business and trade development but it has new-found resonance this year; Many leaders are focused on the need to pull away from the boom and bust cycle of commodity-driven economies common across the continent. $9.1 billion in trade and investment was mobilised to support African business sectors and setting the groundwork for even greater cooperation and connection between the economies of the United States and African continent.

Data from flight reservations show that bookings to countries in east Africa have grown even as visits to the continent’s north have declined.