Bolloré Africa Logistics wants to change dimension in Africa

Bolloré Africa Logistics wants to change dimension in Africa. Already unavoidable with a presence in 43 countries of the black continent and a turnover of EUR 2.1 billion in 2010, the Bolloré group division specialized in the transport and logistics in Africa has accelerated its growth these last twelve months. Locomotive of its strategy for the development of transport corridors serving several neighbouring countries, the management of ports has been five new concessions. One of them, the management of the port of Misurata in Libya, swept away in January last when be triggered the "Arab spring", is still virtual. The site, in the hands of the rebels, is indeed regularly bombed by troops of colonel Gaddafi.

But, obtained by the group alone or in partnership, the other four concessions (Conakry in Guinea, Freetown in Sierra Leone, Lomé in Togo and San Pedro in Côte d'Ivoire, just consolidate terminal Abidjan container already managed by Bolloré - still densifient a network stretching now on nearly 4,000 kilometres west coast of Africa, since Conakry in Guinea to Pointe-Noire in the Congo.) What offset, and beyond, the loss in 2007 the port of Dakar in Senegal, for the benefit of the Dubai Ports World competitor, and the failure in 2009 of the candidature for Monrovia in Liberia, won by the Danish shipowner Maersk. Total last year, the turnover of Bolloré Africa Logistics was generated 60 by the logistics for end end (customs clearance, road transport, warehouses...) and, for the rest, in the management of 21 concessions (including 13 port concessions and 2 rail links).

This division of the Bolloré Group spends money more increasingly important to the development of this network. All included, "the investment on the continent exceed this year the 300 million euros", 70 in the concessions, provides Dominique Lafont, CEO of Bolloré Africa Logistics. It is true that they require means without common measure with what was a decade ago in view of the impossibility of existing African infrastructure to accompany the continent economic awakening.

Thus, in Pointe Noire container terminal, the group is engaged in expenditures for rehabilitation and extension amounting to EUR 574 million over the duration of the concession, with 150 million by 2013. And this to allow this site waters deep serve, although beyond the Congo, across the basin of the river of the same name, but also to make it a platform for the transshipment of goods to alleviate the congestion of the neighbouring ports. The annual traffic of Pointe Noire should move from a very modest 20,000 containers a few years to 350,000 in 2010 and, if the success at the meeting, more than 1.7 million in 2035.

Given the magnitude of the investment already committed but also programmes the electoral calendar in several African countries - privatize ready often controversial port terminal - Bolloré Africa Logistics is not expected in the short term to win new concessions. This does not preclude Dominique Lafont prepare new settlements. "Our priority now is to strengthen us in English-speaking Africa that already weighs 40 of our business, and in countries with large populations such as Nigeria, Egypt and Ethiopia", he said. In Nigeria, where he manages since 2005 one of the port of Lagos container terminal, the offensive is already well advanced: the French company is increased tenfold its turnover in ten years, more than 100 million euros, and there has deployed its full range of benefits, such management of all the logistics of the Huawei Chinese telecom operator. Already extended in the case of Huawei to almost all of the continent - or 150,000 square metres of covered areas reserved for the only customer-, this type of contracts is called upon to multiply. Bolloré takes advantage of its Asian business network to try to convince the Chinese and Indian industrialists interested in Africa give their logistics.

In Egypt, the Group has established a partnership with the BTP Orascom Group, that Dominique Lafont hope he lead a day on the grant of a port taking. Finally, the pattern of Bolloré Africa Logistics very closely following the situation in Ethiopia. Certainly, the idea time fondled concession to the port of Berbera in Somaliland, to develop a corridor to further the traditional link between Djibouti and Addis Ababa Ethiopia, is now stalled. But other opportunities could arise. No doubt that, if the Government of Djibouti was question the concession of container port, currently managed by DP World, Bolloré look at the record.