East Africa consolidations on the up

CFR Freight is
planning to increase
shipping options
to East Africa as
it anticipates growth to the
region, says MD, Martin Keck.
“Our long-standing German
partner, SACO Shipping, is now
opening offices in Kenya and
Tanzania which will strengthen
our trade partnerships and
our service levels with the East
African region significantly,”
Keck told FTW.
CFR will be focusing in
particular on Kenya, Tanzania,
Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and
Ethiopia.
Keck said the company had
already seen an increase in
volumes out of South Africa
into the East African region.
“This trade lane is all about
cargo originating from South
Africa as SA is not the preferred
transhipment hub for goods
destined for East Africa from
the Far East or Europe.”
In his view for the trade lane
between SA and East Africa
to grow, South Africa needs
to produce more value-added
goods that are targeted at the
East African markets. “South
African political and business
delegations also need to build
strong relationships and
establish formal trade ties,” said
Keck.
CFR airfreight general
manager, Stephen Bishop
noted that there had been
growth to the East African region
from an airfreight perspective. “We are
certainly bullish around the prospects
for the year.”
He pointed out that carriers were
increasing capacity into the region,
and demand for South African
products via airfreight was also on the
increase.
“Through our network, we are able
to assist with DAPs (delivered at place)
into 80% of Africa and this involves
most of the East Africa destinations,”
said Bishop. With CFR Freight being
a top 10 International Air Transport
Association (Iata) cargo agent, the
company had the buying power
and the service levels to implement
solutions for its clients into these
territories, he added.
“We have noticed an increase in
the number of cross-trade requests
from across the world into African
destinations,” commented Bishop. He
told FTW that. Nairobi remained a
key hub for Africa and the perishable
market. “But we tend to be more
involved with general cargo for the
forwarders across all of Eastern
Africa,” he said.
CAPTION
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, remains a key hub for Africa.