CFR hints a stronger Africa representation

Independent groupage operator CFR Freight has hinted at stronger representation in sub- Saharan Africa within the next year. While the details have yet to be established, a representative office is likely to be operated under the banner of CFR’s global partners, the World Wide Alliance, which is the single biggest service provider to the global freight forwarding industry, says managing director Martin Keck. “With all eyes on Africa, this is a logical and necessary development for us and our partners in the World Wide Alliance,” he told FTW “Seafreight volumes and bookings to Africa have been on a growth trajectory,” said Keck, with particularly promising volumes moving to Ghana – so much so that the company recently doubled frequency to offer a weekly Tema service. The rest of the region is well covered with own consolidations to Angola, Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda. And according to Keck, it’s a mix of transhipment and SA-sourced cargo, with global economic trends dictating a new trade pattern. “East Africa transhipment cargo has almost completely disappeared because Europe has lost its dominance to the East,” says Keck. “Cargo from China and India now generally goes direct or via Dubai while South African-originated cargo is continuously increasing. There is a complete turnaround for Zimbabwe- and Zambia-destined cargo too. A huge amount of cargo that was previously sourced from the UK now comes from China.” West Africa is a different story, with a lot more transhipment cargo originating from ports all over the Far East and the Indian subcontinent, according to Keck. There’s a lot more SA-origin cargo moving to these destinations as well. For CFR, its ZacPak depot is an important part of its value proposition. “The Customs-licensed depots, which also provide packing and unpacking services, are one of our differentiators. Particularly for transhipments moving into Africa, having it all under our control helps to minimise risks and errors.” From an airfreight perspective, Africa remains one of the top destinations in the company’s portfolio, says airfreight general manager Stephen Bishop. “Our top destination is Lagos, followed by hubs in Accra, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi and Harare which are all big destinations for us,” he said. “Through volume discounts with major carriers we’re able to offer very competitive rates, and these are being constantly reviewed.” Volumes have been good through a range of commodities, according to Bishop. “There’s a lot of business supporting the mining industry – the likes of spare parts – and we’re also seeing an increase in the movement of personal effects for expats.” INSERT & CAPTION 1 Africa remains one of the top destinations in CFR’s airfreight portfolio. – Stephen Bishop INSERT & CAPTION 2 A representative office is likely to be operated under the banner of CFR’s global partners, the World Wide Alliance. – Martin Keck