DHL to open four Oil & Energy Centres across Africa
DHL has announced plans to launch four Oil & Energy Centres of Excellence across Africa over the next 12 months. The centres will offer customers specialist expertise in oil and energy logistics, with the continent “poised to become a global energy powerhouse”.
They will be located in Cape Town, South Africa; Luanda, Angola; Accra, Ghana; (for West Africa), and Mombasa; Kenya (for East Africa).
Oil and energy production within Africa grew from 370m tonnes in 2000 to 459m tonnes in 2009 and the continent is expected to maintain, if not exceed, this growth rate in the medium-term. African oil production capacity is anticipated to reach 7.4m barrels a day by 2014, and with the growing global demand for energy Africa has become a key investment destination, a DHL statement said.
Amadou Diallo, CEO, Africa and South Asia Pacific, DHL Global Forwarding said: “With 10% of the world’s oil in Africa, a swiftly growing economy, businesses and investors around the world are tapping into the potential of Africa. DHL’s Oil and Energy Centres of Excellence will give customers the ability to consult our logistics experts who not only know logistics, but understand the intricacies of the oil and energy sector, to build an effective supply chain solution that can leverage our connections across 220 countries and territories around the world.”
By the second quarter of 2012, DHL’s Oil and Energy Centres will comprise of a team of industry professionals who will consult with, design and implement logistics solutions for oil and energy companies. This will allow clients to overcome common sector- and region-specific challenges relating to, amongst other factors, diverse customs environments as well as remote production locations.
Sam Ang, CEO, Southeast Asia, and head of Oil & Energy for Africa and Asia Pacific, DHL Global Forwarding, said: “As the only international logistics player present in all African markets for 30 years, we are well-positioned to expand our offering to oil and energy companies who wish to operate in Africa, and transfer industry best practices through DHL’s Oil & Energy Centres of Excellence.”
“Africa’s most important economic driver remains its resources – this is in spite of the continent’s rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. With investment interest in the continent growing, it is essential that Africa build on the current momentum and develop its business infrastructure in order for the continent to remain globally competitive,” concluded Diallo.
