Investments in infrastructure, improved regional cooperation, and flexible operations: the winning plan for the logistics game in Africa, these are some of the solutions in ACS’ opinion
In its 3rd edition (May-July 2022), the Africa Supply Chain Magazine, a reference publication in the African logistics industry, echoed through an exclusive interview the visit of our colleagues Simon Fischer, CEO at ACS, and Alex Weidenhielm, ACS Cross-trade and Shipping Director, to various countries in Africa, including Senegal, where they met together with our local ACS Operations Director and representative, Pape Alioune Gueye with Thierno Abdoulaye Diallo, the CEO at the ALM Group publisher of the Africa Supply Chain Magazine.
This visit, beyond being a routine commercial exercise, had not only the objective of meeting new and existing clients as well as service providers but also to discuss the ACS business strategy for 2022-2023 period with our colleagues in Africa.
Significant investments and improvements in port terminals, such as those currently being carried out in countries such as the Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal are just an example of the need to update and improve African logistics infrastructures and show the trend to follow, which is precisely in line with the strategic objectives of ACS as a company that has bet on Africa and has the ambition to cover the logistical needs of business people active in the continent for export and import in all African countries. A corporate strategic plan that caught the attention of this prestigious media outlet.
Creative and personalized solutions for competitive logistics
Within the list of topics discussed during the interview with ACS representatives, the ability of ACS Africa Container Shipping to provide competitive logistics solutions for the commercial needs of clients doing business with Africa today, especially those located in landlocked countries with no access to the sea, was highlighted.
Our Cross-trade & Shipping Director, Alex Weidenhielm, emphasized that ACS provides personalized cargo transport solutions that contrast with the traditional market offer in African countries, which are based on generic criteria.
ACS Africa Container Shipping, being focused on meeting the logistics needs of Small and Medium-sized businesses, can offer great flexibility, adapting to the needs and requirements of various type of clients and commodities within the framework of an “à la carte” service.
At ACS Africa Container Shipping we do not take anything for granted and are well aware of the infrastructure limitations that the African continent still faces in 2022 and that it is a challenging exercise to try and guarantee efficient logistics operations.
The well-known congestion problems in many African ports like Lagos in Nigeria, Banjul in The Gambia as well as some ports in East Africa to name only a few, affect transit times of goods and have at the end a negative impact on transport prices.
As said during the interview, we follow closely and with great interest all projects being carried out in the continent and highlighted positive examples like the Ndayane Port project and the Diamniadio logistics hub in Senegal, where important investments are being done which will highly improve the quality of life of people, by reducing the traffic in Dakar city centre, where today the main port service is located for example. Keeping ourselves constantly updated on all the different projects being developed in Africa is essential for ACS to be able to always propose the best solution to our clients for their transports.
Watch the full interview of Africa Supply Chain Magazine with Alex Weidenhielm
Building a bridge between Africa and the rest of the world
ACS Africa Container Shipping’s business strategy is based on a combination of passion and understanding of African realities, market knowledge, local presence with different branch offices and experienced colleagues, and long years of experience providing logistics solutions to clients all around Africa.
ACS Africa Container Shipping is highly qualified to create an efficient logistics bridge between foreign companies and African companies thanks to our extended network of partners in the five continents. As our CEO Simon Fischer pointed out in this interview, the high quality of our transport and logistics services is crucial and with the help of our colleagues in our ACS branch offices of Dakar (Senegal), Banjul (Gambia), Douala (Cameroun), Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) and Warsaw (Poland) we can offer a full range of logistic services and solutions.
We cooperate with logistic partners that share the same business spirit of operational excellence and flexibility with ACS Africa Container Shipping in many countries and it is thanks to this collaboration that ACS services such as warehousing, inland and cross border transport, and customs clearance –in nearly all countries– are highly effective and reliable in the import and export of commodities, vehicles, and project cargo.
Watch the full interview of Africa Supply Chain Magazine with Simon Fischer
Senegal, a high-value hub in West Africa
From a local perspective, our Director of Operations and local representative in Senegal, Pape Alioune Gueye, insists on the wide range of tailor-made logistic solutions that ACS Africa Container Shipping can provide to local exporters, importers, and traders but also to foreign NGOs active in Africa.
“The local ACS offices have a key purpose,” says Pape Alioune in a few words. That purpose is to intervene in all the different steps of the logistics chain such as customs clearance and assistance with export/import formalities. He mentioned that ACS Africa Container Shipping has an important network of partners in South America, Europe and Asia that contribute to offer transport solutions worldwide.
In Senegal, Pape Alioune oversees one of our most important operation centres for West Africa and points as well out in this interview that ACS Africa Container Shipping is a company not only active in imports but also on the export side with different commodities exported to Asia and Europe.
