The East African economy
is on the brink of a new era
of opportunity, growth and
development – and Beyond
Africa Logistics
Consultants has
been tapping into
this market for
the past year.
This after the
opening of an
office in Kenya in
January.
According
to Michelle du
Toit, director
of operations, there is growing
investor confidence in the better
performing economy, with Kenya
Investment Authority data showing
new investments of $68m in the
second quarter of 2013 compared
with $58.8m in the first quarter.
“We turn logistical challenges
into competitive advantages,” says
Du Toit. “Our target industries are
the very ones
that are driving
the expected
growth of Africa
in the 21st
century – food
and beverage;
mining;
drilling and
exploring; power
and water;
engineering
and construction; agriculture;
pharmaceuticals and
telecommunications.”
Having serviced Kenya and
now Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda,
Uganda, DRC and the South Sudan
by road, the company has built up
the expertise and the ability to offer
the complete logistics solution from
air or sea destinations across Africa,
she said.
According to Du Toit, while the
focus has been
on East Africa
– the African
Development
Bank is
predicting growth
for the Kenyan
economy alone
of 6% this year – southern Africa
is just as important a region for the
company.
“Our head office is in South
Africa, which allows us to monitor
our business across the country and
into all the SADC states. We are
growing quite rapidly in West and
Central Africa as well,” she says.
And Du Toit is upbeat about the
region.
“The World Bank recently
raised its economic outlook for
sub-Saharan Africa for the next
12 months,
predicting
that the region
will grow by
more than 5%
because of strong
domestic demand
and higher
production of commodities. This
adds to the International Monetary
Fund’s prediction that growth
rates for emerging economies
will be higher than in advanced
economies,” she says.
INSERT & CAPTION
The African Development
Bank is predicting growth
for the Kenyan economy
alone of 6% this year.
– Michelle du Toit
INSERT
5% World Bank’s predicted growth for the
region.
