The demand for goods from Asia and Europe into East Africa is continuing its upward trajectory year on year, according to Mark Naidoo, a trade coordinator at CFR Freight.“End-to-end solutions are therefore essential for exporters from South Africa into East Africa,” he told Freight News.Describing the neutral consolidator as strategically placed to provide valuable consolidation services into the region thanks to its transhipment gateway in Durban, Naidoo said the extensive partner network continued to develop “final-mile” solutions for customers, resulting in new services in the East Africa network.These included new door-to-door delivery services in Kigali in Rwanda, Kampala in Uganda and Nairobi, Kenya.“The region is not without challenges – and port congestion and poor infrastructure within East African ports as well as inadequate capacity to handle increasing volumes and cargo demands into these regions continue to hamper operations,” he said. “Recently we have also seen carrier schedule volatility and bad weather conditions, which result in vessels bypassing or omitting ports on the trade route. This impacts overall cargo transit times, increasing lead times for cargo movement.”According to Naidoo, the development of special economic zones (SEZs) or “free zones” in East Africa is key to the industrial development of these countries and to increasing and improving trade in the region.“Private sector participation in port developments, the construction and enhancement of inland container depots (ICDs), and technology innovation in the region will drive opportunities for importers and exporters.”Naidoo is positive about future growth prospects in the region.
