Interesting game: Nyamweze
Two days ago, I sat down and asked myself: can I civilise a really minor African minor? (I'm playing VIP) I looked for suitable candidates: Zulu turned such a pitiful profit that doing anything with them would take decades, other than a possible annexing spree against Xhosa and Sotho. They also get stomped on by Britain at a fairly early date. Shona looked promising, but proximity to Britain was again a factor.
So, I settled on Nyamweze: it turns a good £3 a day in the beginning which, with patience and dedication can be put to good use. I'm about half way through colonising Congo, and I have good relations with the British who have sold me all the technologies I need for civilisation. I've annexed Buganda and Lozi, taken Zanzibar's African coast and most of Shona north of Bulwayo. Kenya is on the hit list after Congo is colonised, and then I'll thieve Portugal's remaining colonies. I'm making about £10 a day, which should increase significantly when I annex Congo. When I civilise (and I've got 10 MPs, so I should be able to do so relatively soon) I'm considering going after Sokoto, Yeke or Ethiopia. I've yet to decide. The year is 1864.
The moral of the story is that it's great fun to civilise a really crappy country!
CMcU