Smoothing the way for Zambia importers from Dubai, India and China

Zambia is one of the “sweet spots” of the emerging markets, according to Warren Erfmann, who in March this year acquired 100% of the Swift group of companies from Barloworld. The acquisition includes 70% of the Dubai freight forwarding division, which deals with Africa. Swift has 22 offices in Africa, three in India, six in Hong Kong/China and four in the UAE. “Africa-centric” products such as SAM (Sea-Air Model), SPL (Swift Perishable Logistics) and SURELINES (NVOCC) were “part of the deal,” according to the former CEO of Barloworld Logistics Middle East & Asia. Zambian importers of goods from Dubai, India and China will continue to be met at the airport by representatives who speak an African language they understand when going on buying expeditions, says Vishal Joshi, who was appointed country head for Zambia in December 2010. The Swift Freight representatives in the countries in which it operates take the traders to the big markets where they can choose the goods they want and negotiate terms and conditions. Swift staff provide translation and other support. The company then handles the clearance and importation of the goods by sea or air, with staff at the airports in Addis Ababa and Nairobi ensuring that Zambian-bound cargo from Dubai is loaded on priority there, he says. Ethiopian and Kenyan airlines are used for the freight out of Dubai. Dubai is a preferred marketplace for Zambian traders because they do not have to take full container loads as they do in China and India, according to Joshi. Swift caters for those who have negotiated smaller quantities from Chinese suppliers by providing a doorto- door consolidation service, which is also available out of Dubai and India. Joshi has extensive experience in Africa, having worked in both Ghana and Dubai. He joined Swift in Zambia after spending 18 months in Ireland furthering his education in logistics. His biggest project since arriving in Zambia has been project managing the importation of all the materials required for a housing project in Kitwe from Dubai. Swift has offices in Kitwe and Ndola. Customers in Zambia and the rest of Africa have not been affected by the change in ownership. “The transfer happened smoothly” says Erfmann, who has been based in Dubai for the past three years.