East Africa is proving to be
the continental success story
thanks to its collaborative
approach.
According to Nosipho
Mdawe, secretary general of the
Ports Management Association
of Eastern and Southern Africa
(Pmaesa), Kenya has made
major inroads in recent years,
with ongoing investment into
its port and extended container
business.
“The country is one to
watch,” said Mdawe, who is
based in Mombasa. The former
Transnet employee said she
continued to be impressed
by the commitment of both
government and the private
sector.
“South Africa must watch
out because Kenya is going
to overtake it completely as a
port of choice into the region,”
she said. “I am not saying
this because I now live there.
They are smart and they are
approaching their development
consistently and through
collaboration
with other
countries in the
region.”
She said
developments
at the Port
of Mombasa
had seen
volumes rise
significantly
and the port
was now
exceeding
1.2 million tons
per annum.
“Durban is
still surpassing Kenya, but one
must not forget that Kenya has
a far higher GDP than South
Africa. They are also working
hard at addressing the trade
imbalance and increasing their
exports.”
She said ongoing efforts
were under way to diversify
the economy
and increase
exports.
There
were major
improvements
in Tanzania,
with leadership
commitment to
develop the port
community
and serve the
hinterland
more effectively,
she added.
“Countries
such as Rwanda
and Uganda are growing at
very high rates. Rwanda is
winning awards for its efforts
at transformation. These are
all countries that have to be
watched as they are focused on
moving forward,” she said.
Already no visas are required
for the region as part of an
effort to break down barriers
and increase intra-regional
trade.
She said Pmaesa was
working closely with the
World Bank in assessing port
capacities in East Africa as part
of an ongoing project to assess
intra-African trade and find
ways of growing it.
“There are real efforts
to implement governance
structures that support growth
and for everyone to work from
the same page. These efforts
are paying off as East Africa is
drawing more investment than
most other regions.”
Mdawe said most countries
in the region were looking at
GDP growth of around 6% in
2017.
South Africa must
watch out because
Kenya is going
to overtake it
completely as a port
of choice into the
region.
– Nosipho Mdawe
