yhea you ll nees a CPL to work in Africa, even if you ll meet some local pilots flying with ...questionable licenses..you as expat will need a JAA, CAS, FAA...whatever licence in order to get a local validation. The process changes from country to country.
in DRC you can find MAF from USA (
MAF » Reaching isolated people through aviation and technology) and ASF (
La voie des airs pour secourir la Terre) from Belgium , flying in support of ONG and for humanitarian aids. they use to fly Cessna 206 /7 and 208 caravan, so type rating is not requested, but I knew they use to seek pilots with some experience (I recall ASF asking 500 tt).
In Africa you can find many companies flying under contract with UN and red cross with bigger airplanes (dash, let, CRJ, antonov...)
Here in DRC most of them are from south africa, canada, est europe.
In order to join them, you need an appropriate license depending the registration mark of the AC and a type raing at least...essentially they are neither more nor less than regular airlines, but they have contracts with UN in Africa or elsewhere in the third world.