Africa’s booming oil and
gas industry continues
to show huge growth
despite the many
regulatory and political challenges
the continent faces, says Heinz
Lange, operations manager Africa
for Chapman Freeborn.
“Traditionally Africa has been
known as a difficult market owing
to the various regulations specific
to each country,
but we continue
to see growth in
the oil and gas
industry while
the construction
sector is also
doing well.”
For Lange
these are clear
indications
that Africa is
on the rise and
the company
is therefore focused on growing
its operations in the region in the
future.
“Be it the regulatory environment
or the slow turnaround time in
some cases when it comes to landing
permits, it is all about finding ways
to overcome the challenges and get
the job done.”
For Lange and his team at
Chapman Freeborn, in the African
context this means finding reliable
representatives and agents in the
different countries in which they
operate.
“For us
it is about
partnerships
and much
effort goes into
building strong
collaborative
partnerships
across business,
communities and
governments.
Ultimately this
provides a solid
framework for
supporting mutually beneficial
expansion across Africa.”
The continent is not, however,
without its challenges. “In areas
such as Central Africa, for example,
airport and road infrastructure will
have to be improved before we can
realistically expect further growth
in air cargo movement.”
He says flying in and out of
remote areas with little or no
accessibility remains a major
constraint to the growth of air
cargo.
“It needs to be also mentioned
that while the physical investment in
actual infrastructure is important,
we cannot overlook the fact that
improvements also need to be made
to customs, border management and
regional facilitation and integration.
Africa needs to address it all.”
But, says Lange, while there
are still those who are sceptical
about Africa, his company is
already seeing improvements in
infrastructure.
“I believe aviation has helped to
link the continent to the world and
plays a powerful role in integrating
the 54 national economies of
Africa. With only a few kilometres
of tarmac, even the most remote
destination can become a part of the
global community.”
INSERT & CAPTION
With only a few kilometres
of tarmac, even the most
remote destination can
become a part of the global
community.
– Heinz Lange
CAPTION
Linking the continent to the
world and playing a powerful role
in integrating the 54 national
economies of Africa.
