News / Major forwarders see new logistics opportunities in West Africa

West Africa is proving an increasingly attractive destination for forwarders, with growth opportunities springing out of an improving economic landscape and heightened demand for raw materials and its young, educated workforce.

With AD Ports and Geodis both announcing developments in Angola, there appears to be indication that the country is onboard this trend, although work is still needed.

Announcing that ground had been broken on the Noatum Ports Luanda Terminal (pictured above), AD Ports CEO Mohammed Al Tamimi described it as “a transformative moment for the group, for Angola, and for the wider region”.

He added: “By modernising this vital gateway, we are helping position Luanda as a leading maritime and logistics hub in Central and West Africa.

“This flagship project reflects our long-term strategy to deliver world-class infrastructure, advanced technology, and sustainable solutions that not only enhance trade and logistics but also create meaningful opportunities for the local community.”

An initial investment of $250m, that could reach $380m over the 20-year concession period, will see the 192,000 sq metre facility upgraded for general, containerised, and ro-ro operations.

Set for Q1 27 completion, container capacity will increase ten-fold, to 350,000 teu, ro-ro volumes will top 40,000 vehicles, and a 16m draught will allow the terminal to handle super post-panamax vessels of 14,000 teu.

Angola’s minister of transport, Ricardo Viegas de Abreu, said the port’s modernisation would act in “solidifying Angola’s position as a true driver of economic and social development”.

It comes amid positive momentum for the wider West Africa region, forwarders having told The Loadstar of increasing growth opportunities borne out of connecting not just with traditional trade partners but developing markets.

Forwarders in both Africa and South America have spoken positively about the prospects of enhanced trade between the two continents.

One noted that while the “traditional spike” between Africa and Europe in the third quarter of this year had failed to match that of previous years, they nonetheless had seen a lot of “trade moves to South America”.

Indeed, some believe that the whole African continent could benefit from these new trade partnerships, but internal infrastructure and weak connectivity remains a problem.

Tapping into this, Geodis announced this week the introduction of a new road transport service in Southern Africa, connecting 10 countries, from its hub in Johannesburg to Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and Namibia.

Geodis’s MD South Africa, Cobus Fourie, claimed that while African cross-border logistics presented challenges, the service aimed to offer customers “seamless” cargo flows.