DHL highlights investment in Sub-Saharan Africa
Deutsche Post DHL Group’s CEO Frank Appel – who has been visiting logistics facilities in South Africa and Nigeria this week – has highlighted the importance of Sub-Saharan Africa to the company’s long-term goals. In a statement issued by Deutsche Post DHL Group today (27 August), Appel commented: “Today, emerging market revenues contribute over 20% to Deutsche Post DHL Group’s revenues, but by 2020 the Group expects this figure to climb to 30%.
“Therefore, we will continue to concentrate on organic growth by investing into promising present and future markets.
“DHL already has a strong footprint in Africa, but we see some excellent opportunities to further increase our presence in the Sub-Saharan region.
“South Africa’s exceptional geographic location as the gateway to Africa, and Nigeria’s growing gross domestic product (GDP) and diversifying markets are only two of the many important indicators for this.”
DHL Express, which operates across 51 countries and territories in the region, has a planned investment of more than €17m in 2015.
Major projects underway include upgrades to facilities and shipment handling systems throughout the region.
In October 2014, DHL already announced investments totalling €30.5m in South Africa. This included €16m for DHL Global Forwarding’s Plumbago Business Park facility, which boasts 12,000 square metres of warehouse space and 5,500 square metres of office space; and €14.5m for DHL Supply Chain’s 25,000m² multi-user warehouse facility.
Summing up his visit, Appel noted: “We have established world-class facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa to support our global network, and I am delighted to witness first-hand the sustained efforts of our employees to deliver best-in-class services. We are committed to Sub-Saharan Africa and will continue to build on our successful four-decade legacy in the region.”
