More African growth on the cards

Kingfisher Freight has seen
a “marked increase” in its
cross-border trade over the past
year, with projections for further
growth for the year ahead, says
the company’s managing director,
Alwyn Nel.
“Our involvement in Africa, both
north and south, has increased
exponentially and increased our
initial expectations,” comments
Nel, adding that aside from
growth in Kingfisher’s traditional
southern Africa countries, the
company’s West African business
has grown “substantially”.
He comments that many of
the barriers to trade into Africa
have improved over the past
years, including customs issues,
bureaucracy, corruption and a
lack of transport infrastructure
but adds that certain new
fiscal policies, pre-inspection
requirements as well as inefficient
government systems remain
some of the major challenges to
trading on the continent, causing
transport delays and congestion at
borders.
“Furthermore, while there has
been improvement in this regard,
corruption and red tape will
always be a challenge,” says Nel.