In light of the rapid pace of infrastructure and transport developments across Africa, our Ports, Transport and Logistics (PTL) Sector Group is pleased to present Bowmans' latest PTL news round-up. Our regular round-ups bring you a selection of pan-African PTL-related stories and keep you up to date regarding developments in the space across Africa.

We draw on a network of multi-disciplinary experts across Africa in fields as diverse as project finance, construction and environmental law, to keep you in the know about developments and thought leadership in the PTL space.

The articles to which we refer readers are, unless stated otherwise, neither written nor edited by ourselves and appear in their original form. Bowmans does not necessarily agree with opinions expressed in those articles.

This edition includes news headlines and links to articles from a variety of sources, covering stories from Cameroon, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa and South Sudan.

Rovuma Venture consortium to develop three business development centres (Mozambique)
Source: Africa Ports (30 January 2020)
The Mozambique Rovuma Venture natural gas exploitation consortium has announced that it will create three business development centres in several different parts of Mozambique for developing competitive Mozambican companies that can qualify for inclusion in their supplier lists. Read the full article here.

West Africa in line for major logistics platform (Gabon, Mauritania and Ivory Coast)
Source: FTW Online (30 January 2020)
Countries along the West African coastline are set to benefit from a new port and logistics platform designed to boost economic growth and facilitate effective trade in the region. Read the full article here. Also reported by Africa Ports here.

Record-high fruit exports at Cape Town Container Terminal (South Africa)
Source: Transnet (30 January 2020)
Transnet has confirmed that a team at its container terminal at the Port of Cape Town has set a new reefer record after loading 1665 cold-chain boxes onto the Maersk vessel, Santa Clara, last weekend. Read the full press release here.

NYK, Bollore & Toyota Tsusho to build the new RoRo terminal at Port Said (Egypt)
Source: Africa Ports (30 January 2020)
NYK, Bolloré Africa Logistics (Bolloré) and Toyota Tsusho Corporation (Toyota Tsusho), have signed an agreement with the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone to set up and operate a dedicated automotive (RoRo) terminal at East Port Said in Egypt. Read the full article here.

South Africa to lead the African Union (South Africa)
Source: FTW Online (29 January 2020)
President Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined his three main priorities as South Africa prepares to assume leadership of the African Union (AU) this year. Read the full article here.

Ghana Ports predicts more cargo volumes in 2020 (Ghana)
Source: FTW Online (29 January 2020)
The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) is upbeat about volume growth for the year ahead as Tema and Takoradi position themselves as transhipment hubs for the country's oil and gas network. Read the full article here.

New Industrial Park to boost business opportunities in Free State (South Africa)
Source: FTW Online (28 January 2020)
In a move to foster business opportunities in the Free State, the Coega Development Corporation (CDC), in partnership with the Lejwe Le Putswa Development Agency (LDA), announced yesterday that they had signed an agreement to develop a new industrial park in the Lejwe Le Putswa District Municipality. Read the full article here.

São Tomé and China agree to leave São Tomé port project to private sector (São Tomé and Príncipe)
Source: Africa Ports (27 January 2020)
Indications are that the private sector will look for investment and involvement in the São Tomé port project. Read the full article here.

Lekki deepwater port will be able to berth 18,000 TEU ships (Nigeria)
Source: Africa Ports (24 January 2020)
Details of the new deepwater port of Lekki on the outskirts of Lagos have become available and indicate that when complete the container terminal at Lekki will be able to accommodate 18,000-TEU ships. Read the full article here.

AP Moller Capital given European Commission green light for port concessions in West Africa (West Africa)
Source: Africa Ports (23 January 2020)
Denmark's AP Møller Capital has received the go-ahead from the European Commission to acquire joint control of four companies holding concessions to build and/or operate port terminals in several countries of West Africa. Read the full article here.

Kisumu port upgrade welcomed by stakeholders (Kenya)
Source: Africa Ports (23 January 2020)
As the upgrade of port facilities at Kisumu on Lake Victoria is completed, stakeholders including the lake fishing industry say they welcome the improvements. Read the full article here.

East London cruising to popularity (South Africa)
Source: Africa Ports (22 January 2020)
East London, South Africa's only river port, is becoming increasingly popular as a cruise port with 15 cruise liner calls this season – the most calls it has ever received in a single season. Read the full article here.

Ride the wave of the African Continental Free Trade Area, UK investors urged
Source: Africa Ports (22 January 2020)
Africa is on the cusp of unmatched economic transformation, and the UK must engage in a "partnership of change", African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina said on Tuesday in a keynote address at a UK Parliamentary Symposium. "The Africa of the 21st century is very different. The Africa of the 21st century is new and more confident," he said. Read the full article here.

Tullow Oil suspends sending crude oil to Mombasa because of poor roads (Kenya)
Source: Africa Ports (22 January 2020)
Tullow Oil, which is successfully drilling for oil in the Turkana region of northern Kenya, has suspended the trucking of Turkana crude to the port at Mombasa. Read the full article here.

Djibouti government rejects London Court ruling to hand Doraleh terminal back to DP World (Djibouti)
Source: Africa Ports (21 January 2020)
As was expected, the Government of Djibouti has rejected the ruling of the London Court of International Arbitration to hand back to DP World the Doraleh port terminal. Read the full article here.

African Union adopts Lapsset Transport Corridor as an official AU project (Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Cameroon)
Source: Africa Ports (21 January 2020)
The African Union (AU) has adopted Kenya's ambitious Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (Lapsset) Corridor Programme as an official AU project and is taking it a step further in which the corridor will be redesigned to link the new port of Lamu on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya (where the first berth is already in operation), with the Cameroon port of Douala on the Atlantic coast. Read the full article here.

Transnet backtracks on freight rate increases (South Africa)
Source: FTW Online (20 January 2020)
South Africa's freight-and-rail logistics company has reportedly backtracked – for now – on its announcement late last year that it intends to increase rates on some of its source-to-port lines by up to 190%. Read the full article here.

Grindrod breaks ground at R105 million Umlaas Road AutoPort Project (South Africa)
Source: Africa Ports (20 January 2020)
Grindrod Limited has commenced construction of a state-of-the-art AutoPort, just off the N3 in Camperdown in KwaZulu-Natal. The 270,000m2 property is ideally situated between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, with the Natcor rail link between Durban and Johannesburg running adjacent to the property and providing for rail siding opportunities – for rail options both to and from the AutoPort. Read the full article here.

Eni Rovuma Basin Coral Sul FLNG is launched in Geoje, South Korea (Mozambique)
Source: Africa Ports (20 January 2020)
Last Tuesday (14 January 2020) saw the launching of the CORAL SUL (South) Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) treatment and liquefaction facility hull at Geoje, South Korea. The FLNG when complete is to see service in the Rovuma Basin off northern Mozambique on behalf of Italian oil major Eni and its Area 4 partners in the venture. Read the full article here.

Shippers Council raises alarm over Lagos port congestion (Nigeria)
Source: Africa Ports (20 January 2020)
The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) has raised its voice about continuing congestion at the Lagos ports due to the chaotic condition on all access roads around the port. Read the full article here.

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