'Tremendous' growth in apples and pears to Nigeria

Growth, growth and more growth. That is the forecast for Africa in 2015, according to Dave Everett, Africa key account manager for Safmarine. “In 2014 we experienced significant growth in imports to the Ivory Coast, Mauritius, the DRC as well as to big parts of East Africa,” he told FTW. “Similarly exports from Central West Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Ivory Coast and the DRC have been up.” Most of the growth is thanks to the continued interest in Africa from the likes of China and India. The need for exporters to diversify their markets has also had significant impact. “South African apples and pears to Nigeria for example have seen tremendous growth in the past few years – so much so that we have changed services to accommodate this expanding trade,” he said. “We are seeing an increased need for reefer capacity into these markets as perishable exporters move away from traditional markets and focus on Africa.” Everett said due to this increased growth there was a real focus from the company on providing its customers with more insight and understanding of the African market. “The goldrush that is Africa has never been bigger than what it is now,” said Everett. “The understanding of the continent is not necessarily always there and so we are working hard towards ensuring that customers at origin are getting to grips with the developments and the requirements of doing business in Africa.” With seven of the fastest growing economies in the world in Africa and its fast-growing consumer population in need of goods, the potential for growth for shipping lines is undoubtedly set to continue. “We forecast similar growth for the next year,” said Everett. This as a number of automotive manufacturers look at increasing the import of vehicles (mostly in the semi knockdown sector) and investing in manufacturing plants across Africa. “Countries that are being earmarked for these imports include Angola, Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania,” he said. “At the same time the East Africa highway serving Uganda and South Sudan is seeing some development – with a single customs clearance in Mombasa which is very positive.” According to Everett commodity exports out of the hinterland are also on the rise. “There is an increased focus on getting the necessary services in place to ensure this cargo flows efficiently to the ports to facilitate easier export. A lot is being done to upgrade road and rail links.” INSERT & CAPTION Perishable exporters are moving away from traditional markets to focus on Africa. – Dave Everett