Africa’s maritime trade outlook and development strategies for the region’s freight transport market will come under the spotlight at the event.
Transnet is the primary sponsor of the event, now in its 17th year. The two-day programme at the Southern Sun Cape Sun hotel will feature more than 35 conference speakers addressing current trends, topical issues, and challenges on global transportation and logistics.
“It is an opportunity for us to show delegates from African and other countries our upgraded infrastructure for handling larger vessels and higher volumes of containers, and bring them up to speed on what TNPA is doing to enhance trade in the region,” said TNPA chief executive, Richard Vallihu.
“The past five years have seen unprecedented investment in our port, rail and pipeline infrastructure as Transnet rolls out its market demand strategy (MDS). Intermodal Africa provides an opportunity for us to report on the progress we have achieved in terms of expanding and modernising our infrastructure to drive economic growth as well as to promote regional integration with South Africa serving as a transhipment hub.
“Running concurrently with the MDS is the South African government’s Operation Phakisa: Oceans Economy, launched by president Jacob Zuma in 2014, which aims to unlock the economic potential of the country’s oceans. TNPA is also playing a leading role in executing projects under the Marine Transport and Manufacturing (MTM) initiative of this programme,” he explained.
“These investments will help retain and attract global trade and enable South Africa to continue to play a key role in the African Renaissance,” Vallihu added.
Some 200 senior government officials, industry principals and decision makers, harbour masters, port engineers, supply chain executives, academics, railway operators, port equipment and services suppliers from countries throughout Eastern and Southern Africa are expected to attend.
Confirmed speakers include representatives of The Ports Regulator of South Africa, Ports Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA), Transnet National Ports Authority, Transnet Freight Rail, Transnet Port Terminals, Kenya Ports Authority, Port Reunion, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, HPC Hamburg Port Consulting and many more.
