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.