Not sure where in EAfrica you're talking about, but locally it seems to be a fairly standard procedure for contract and operational reasons to have two crew in a C208 even though its certified as single pilot ops. The confusion comes when BOTH crew are logging equal flight hours in the aircraft regardless of which seat they are occupying. In theory only the left seat should log anything, but then an 'almost' rated right seat pilot (as against the 'sandbag' type) is actually advised by the authority that they can't log time p2 or p1 u/s, so are told to log it P1. Voila - everyone logs and everyone wins.
The only bit of your message that was unusual/news was that your friend is being asked to PAY for the privilege of these 'logged hours'. Normally C208 co-pilots get minimum wage or nothing much - but your case could be first one I've heard off that is bold enough to demand payment for these 'hours'.
Frankly, however desperate someone is to get on the pilot ladder, there has to be an element of self-preservation and pride too. Right seat C208 time is worth very little - and definitely not $7500. One might be pretending to be a pilot, enjoying the scenery and being in 'aviation', but its not going to make you a real pilot. Most C208 right seat occupants fast track their hours to the airlines, but its not real experience or knowledge unless its with a genuine two crew operation, and a pilot who really will teach you.
Any operation who is taking money off desperate pilots to put them as sandbags in a C208 to fulfil contract obligations has got other issues that would make me look elsewhere.....
