Kuehne+Nagel targets Africa with network expansion
Kuehne+Nagel, one of the world’s leading logistics providers, has significantly expanded its network of offices in Africa. These offices are managed and supported by a control tower in Durban, South Africa – a single point of customer contact responsible for a compliant, high quality and easy-to-access network across Africa. It allows for complete visibility across the network, including remote locations, while ensuring Kuehne+Nagel's global service standards; supervising data quality, enabling shipment visibility and managing cargo flow.
With this expansion, Kuehne+Nagel provides its customers better access to African markets and while offering African manufacturers specialized and industry-specific solutions to meet soaring demand in markets such as pharma & healthcare, perishables, emergency & relief and project logistics.
Sub-Saharan Africa plays an increasingly significant role in worldwide trade as it is home to more than one billion people, half of whom will be under the age of 25 by 2050. Kuehne+Nagel has been actively present in Africa for almost seven decades after opening its first office in Johannesburg in 1954. The company provides its customers with full visibility across a strong and compliant supply chain by combining the strengths of a local presence with Kuehne+Nagel’s global operating systems and processes.
The expanded Africa network is fully vetted and audited by an external global auditing company to ensure ongoing adherence to the highest level of compliance and ethical standards. It provides the full range of international services including Air, Sea, Road and Contract logistics to address the demands of the African continent.
"Africa is blessed with natural resources and a young entrepreneurial population. Now is the time to unlock this potential and create growing, thriving economies. There are many elements to this, one being the logistical ability to connect global markets for end consumers and suppliers. With the new control tower in Durban, we are ready to address this great African opportunity," says Lee I’Ons, President of Kuehne+Nagel Middle East and Africa.
With this expansion, Kuehne+Nagel will be represented in 18 African countries: South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Egypt, Angola, Namibia, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Mozambique, Mauritius, Botswana, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Rwanda. Until the end of the first quarter 2022, Kuehne+Nagel plans to increase its footprint with a second expansion on the continent.