"With a growing middle class, increasing urbanisation and technological access as well as untapped resources and agricultural potential, development of Africa's supply chain is imperative for sustainable growth," said Marius Swanepoel, Imperial Logistics CEO. Through its Africa division, it is rapidly expanding across the continent, particularly as customers enter new markets.
"We are honoured to become part of a global logistics and supply chain management leader. Our customers stand to gain significant competitive advantages through the acquisition," said Sakkie Snyman, MD at IJ Snyman Transport, adding that investment in the continent by African companies is essential to boost critical intra-African trade.
"Expansion throughout Africa is an exciting growth area for us," said Swanepoel, referring to September data published by the Africa Business Confidence Index (ABCI) which points to promising prospects for the manufacturing and non-manufacturing business sectors. Supply chain failure, he noted has a significant impact on the health of any economy.
"On our continent, the development and upgrading of Africa's sub-Saharan Africa transport corridors can strengthen the value proposition of the region's logistics offering," he said, highlighting that throughout 2011, multi-modal solutions have increasingly proven their worth. "The Trans Kalahari, Walvis Bay and Maputo Corridors are growing the region's strategic importance. Expansion enablement of regional multi-modal capacity requires solutions that effectively balance road, rail, waterways, pipelines and air," concluded Swanepoel.
