Increased mining activity in West Africa is boosting growth in other sectors, says Karel-Jan Nothnagel, managing member of Afri- Cross Logistic Solutions. As a freight logistics provider, especially involved in the Angolan market, Nothnagel and his team are familiar with the host of challenges that exist in emerging markets – especially Africa. “A successful supply chain remains one of the biggest challenges in Africa,” he says – and in the West African context, dealing with customs remains an issue. “It probably is and always will be the biggest challenge as customs procedures are complex and long-winded. At the same time it is also a very difficult environment for clients who want to repatriate funds from Angola and we have built up some expertise in this regard and can now help with getting all the required documents in place.” With their own clearing offices into Angola and their vast first-hand knowledge in dealing with the West African market, Nothnagel is extremely positive about the future. “Growth has been very good in this region in all sectors but especially in the mining sector which bodes well for all the other sectors to grow. We have especially seen some significant growth in the road transport of perishable goods into Angola.” And it is growth that is expected to be maintained. “At the same time the logistics processes into Angola and West Africa are getting better. Modernisation of the customs system in Angola has made the process slightly easier, while new customs offices have opened up in Santa Clara with new holding areas for trucks, thus decreasing clearance times – all aspects that have been challenging in the past.” He said all of this had helped to improve transit times from loading in Cape Town or Jo’burg to delivery in Luanda within seven to nine days. Nothnagel says in light of all this the company plans to grow its operations into Zambia and the DRC as it is already trucking from Cape Town into Kinshasha. INSERT In the West African context, Customs red tape remains an issue.
