Interconnect expands to meet African growth demands

Economic and infrastructure growth in Africa has prompted Interconnect Logistics to expand its overborder fleet to meet increased export and import demands from sub- Saharan Africa. The company has also set up warehousing facilities in Zimbabwe for local distribution and will open warehouses in Zambia and Malawi by mid-2014. Walter van Vuuren, who manages outward operations for Interconnect, told FTW that there were several new opportunities in Angola, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Mozambique. According to him, Zimbabwe’s adoption of the US dollar has paved the way for investment in the mineral wealth of the country as well as for infrastructure development. “Most of the mining equipment and construction materials are sourced from South Africa, or are in transit from South Africa.” Mozambique, too, has seen a lot of investment lately, with ports and overall infrastructure needing to be upgraded, said Van Vuuren. “We hope to take advantage of these opportunities by highlighting our extensive experience – through our affiliate agents in Africa – of dealing with the challenges of providing transport into even the most rural areas,” he said. CAPTION Walter van Vuuren…connecting Africa to the world.