Reaping rewards from investment in logistics

Decades of investment in regional logistics infrastructure is reaping dividends for the West African region.The region has arrived as a major global hub. Confirmation of this came in April 2025, when Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) announced that it had selected West African ports as destinations for Africa’s first service by a mega-large container vessel with a 24 000 TEU capacity.MSC Diletta and MSC Türkiye will connect key regions from China and South Korea through Southeast Asia to Ghana, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon on the Africa Express service, according to an announcement by MSC.MSC Diletta has called on Lomé, Togo and Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, while the 400 metre-long MSC Türkiye has “played a crucial role in positioning the ports of Tema in Ghana and Kribi in Cameroon as a major transshipment and strategic trade hub along the West African coast”, said MSC.“This vessel represents a new scale for maritime operations in sub-Saharan Africa,” added the shipping company.Currently, the West African ports are the only African harbours capable of handling the mega-large container vessels. This capacity will be increased by the addition of a major maritime infrastructure project: the Port of Ndayane, in Senegal. The $1.2 billion investment is being spearheaded by DP World.Construction on the project started in December 2024.According to DP World, phase 1 of the project includes an 840m quay and a 5km channel capable of accommodating the world’s largest container ships. The construction in this phase will create a capacity to handle 1.2 million TEUs annually. Phase 2 will add a further 410m quay, “positioning Ndayane as a leading logistics hub in West Africa”, according to DP World. DP World increased the capacity of the Port of Dakar from 300 000 TEUs in 2008 to 800 000 TEUs in 2023 – with no room for expansion, the company said. It will support Senegalese economic development through the added capacity.“Our plans extend beyond the port,” said Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO of DP World, at the sod-turning ceremony. “We will develop an economic zone near the port and Blaise Diagne International Airport, which is expected to create even more employment than the port itself.” The region is attracting investment in ports due to “surging Asia-West Africa trade”, according to MSC.The company operates Lomé Port – currently West Africa’s busiest port – through its TiL (Terminal Investment Limited) subsidiary, following its acquisition of Bolloré Africa.MSC has announced plans to invest about $500 million in the Port of Lomé by 2030. It aims to increase capacity from 1.6 million TEUs to 2.2 million TEUs a year, according to V. Ramakrishnan, MSC’s route development manager for Africa trade.The port serves the landlocked countries of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.Other recent regional investments include the opening in 2023 of Lekki Port in Nigeria with a capacity of 2.7 million TEUs a year; the expansion of Abidjan Port (Côte d’Ivoire) to 16 million TEUs a year; and the modernisation of the Port of Cotonou in Benin. ER