by NR INDRAN / INT

Mumbai :  DHL Global Forwarding, one of the leading providers of global air and ocean freight,reaffirmed its special focus on Africa, with a strong commitment from the governments of Africa and India to further develop trade relations between the two countries. DHL is the only international logistics player with a presence in all African markets, for over three decades

DHL Global Forwarding plans to launch four Oil & Energy (O&E) Centres of Excellence across the continent, in South Africa, Angola, Ghana and Kenya over the next 12 months. This comes with a renewed focus on Africa and plans to expand trade in core sectors such as oil and energy, industrial projects, life sciences & healthcare, aid & relief, and the consumer segment.

Christoph Remund, CEO – DHL Global Forwarding India said, “Logistics is a powerful enabler of the economy and forms one of the fundamental building blocks of external and internal trade. DHL is dedicated to providing services critical to the functioning and growth of businesses across the African continent and also providing critical know-how to companies in India interested in doing business in Africa”.

Currently, bilateral trade between India and Africa stands at $45 billion and is expected to reach $70 billion by 2015[1].Inter-continental growth between Africa and Asia touched US$100 billion in 2010 and DHL is focused on fuelling this dynamic growth between the two countries.

The 50 plus economies of the African continent are  growing at a remarkable pace, with real gross domestic product having increased by an average of 4.9 percent a year between 2000 and 2008., DHL is well-positioned to expand its offerings and transfer industry best practices to companies who wish to operate in Africa, through DHL’s O&E Centers of Excellence.

Pule Malefane, Consulate General of the Republic of South Africa said, “DHL has been actively contributing to promote Indo-African trade relations. Africa is committed towards further developing these bilateral relations with India.   Future predictions foresee a substantial growth potential in the India Africa trade lane”.

Sunanda Rajendran, Secretary General, Indo – African Chamber of Commerce and Industries said, “We are thankful to DHL for the significant role they play in facilitating trade between the two countries. Logistics is integral to successfully tap the unlocked potential that Africa offers. DHL has been instrumental in identifying trade barriers and recommending remedial steps.”

With an in-depth understanding of the region, the DHL Global Forwarding team is developing customized solutions to enable African and Indian companies to better manage their product flows in the supply chain. Significant resources have been allocated to develop this business potential with several “India Desks” having been set up in major African countries, and plans to further increase this presence by 2012.

DHL will soon roll out a new road freight solution in Africa called AfricaConnect, based on three main hubs in East, West and Southern Africa serving respective regions and helping link inter-regional movement of goods.

DHL is well-placed to expand its business potential in the region with a focused trade-lane agenda and market specific products to offer.

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