There are much cheaper options than the Mitex, after I looked into them a few years ago.
Firstly the Mitex at 5W are programmed for business usage and require a licence.
The business frequencies available with a licence are either UHF or VHF. The Mitex General are UHF, and the Mitex Sport are VHF.
Generally UHF is better in urban areas, and VHF in more open areas. Hence why marine radios are VHF because of course, there are no trees, buildings etc out at sea!
So the business frequencies requiring a licence are used by security/factory warehouses.
The licence is not expensive, something like £50 for 5 years, but strictly, is for business, not personal usage, but an 'organisation' can apply for a licence.
http://static.ofcom.org.uk/static/businessradio/BusinessRadioSimpleUK.pdf
We then have PMR446 radios.
The blister packs you see.
These are licence free, but are limited to only 0.5W.
Initially 8 frequencies can be used, but very recently another further 8 frequencies have been released for usage.
So, cheaper options than Mitex?
Just look on eBay, there are loads of Chinese walkie talkies available, baofeng the most popular.
What you must understand that these radios come from China with frequencies that are neither the business frequencies or the PMR446 frequencies, and are illegal to use in the UK.
You can however, depend on model, buy a programming cable and reprogram them to what ever you want within the frequency range. They are what is better known as HAM radios.
You can therefore buy a Chinese radio for as little as £20 or less!, with an output of 5W, and re-programme them to the business or PMR446 frequencies.
Legal if programmed to business frequencies with a £50 licence, but still illegal if programmed to PMR446 frequencies as they are pumping out 5W rather than 0.5W.
For around £50 you can buy a very nice Chinese radio, and re-programme to all the Mitex General UHF and Sport VHF frequencies, PMR446 UHF frequencies, Marine band frequencies VHF etc etc.
What frequencies are allowed in Africa however? don't know.