‘Local expertise the key to success in Africa’

Local knowledge and expertise is key to successful operations across continents – and nowhere is this more critical than in African and Asian markets, says Dick de Bruin, chief operations officer of CWT Europe. CWT Europe, which in February bought 60% of South Africa’s Aquarius Shipping, was itself a Dutchbased business before being bought out some three years ago by CWT Ltd in Singapore. “As a single business it is very difficult to really grow and compete globally if you are not part of a larger operation that brings in the necessary expertise from a specific continent or country.” According to De Bruin, it makes sense to acquire shares in a likeminded company rather than setting up shop from scratch. “Being a Dutchbased company we are not experts in Africa, but the team at Aquarius Shipping is. With this specific merger we are gaining knowledge from both sides – they can draw on our European expertise and we on their Africa knowledge. The CWT parent company has done the same all over the world and through that has established a global logistics company that specialises in soft commodities.” Rod Goncalves, a director of Aquarius Shipping, says many companies think they can enter the African market by approaching it the same way they do business in Europe or elsewhere in the world. “I think this is a clear recognition of the importance of local specialists,” he said. Merging of companies also allows for much greater capacity in a global sense, says Goncalves. “By joining forces with CWT Europe we are taking the first step towards establishing CWT Africa – allowing our company to grow more than it would have done without the financial backing and guidance provided by CWT Europe now.”