Forbes India recently had a cover story on the race by Indian and Chinese companies to set up a foothold in the Dark Continent. The package includes interview with executives with some of the early movers - including Apollo Tyres, NIIT, Tata Steel and Skipper Energy - talk about their experience and an interview with Professor Vijay Mahajan of The University of Texas at Austin and author of the book Africa Rising . One slice of the opportunity is a middle class numbering anywhere between 350 million and 500 million, larger than India’s. And per capita income is growing. The continent clocked an impressive growth rate of 5.2 percent in 2008. Of course, with recession and a crash in commodity prices, the growth may taper to 2 percent. But its trade links with China and India hold out hope that it could recover in tandem with these countries, says a recent article in the Harvard Business Review (HBR). Besides (as Professor Vijay Mahajan) says, “When you look at [opportunities in] the w...