Bollor rebrands its ports and logistics network in Africa

French conglomerate The Bollor Group said Tuesday it has rebranded its Africa-wide ports and logistics network with the English name Bollor?Africa Logistics as it seeks to gain a greater share of the logistics market in English-speaking African nations.

Each of the companies in the Bollor?Group network in Africa (SDV, Saga, Transami, Antrak, Socopao and Afritramp) will continue to trade under its existing name but will benefit from its affiliation with Bollor?Africa Logistics while retaining its own specificity, the company said in a statement.

Bollor has 5 million square meters of office space, warehouses, yard facilities and workshops in Africa, and specializes in container terminal management, door-to-door services and project logistics.

It is one of the two biggest port operators in Africa and has a growing network of trucking, rail and riverboat services taking finished goods from ports to cities and goods in the opposite direction, the Financial Times reported Tuesday. The company's operations -- spread over many separate businesses -- were traditionally concentrated in West Africa, where it holds several port management concessions, particularly in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. But it has recently increased its presence in the south and east of the continent.

For instance, the company reported in early September that strong South African trade drove revenue from its ports and transportation business up 15 percent in the first half of 2008.

In a statement, Dominique Lafont, chief executive officer of Bollor?Africa Logistics, said, The new corporate name gives us an opportunity to drive our energies to strengthen our shared culture.

Lafont told the Financial Times that Bollor's greatest opportunities lie in English-speaking nations. He also said Chinese logistics ventures in Africa, while stoking competition, have also helped legitimize Africa as a stable location for investment.

Our fastest growth is in anglophone countries and that is where there are the biggest concentrations of population and the greatest wealth, he said. When I talk of risk and opportunities, the Chinese are for the moment more of an opportunity. They have helped change the image of Africa as a place to invest. They have invested a lot of money, for example in railways. Things now get built in four years, whereas before it would take 10 to 15.

Source: American Shipper