Worldwide Logistics Group is proud to announce a new branch office located in Nairobi, Kenya. This is the logistics company’s second office to open in Africa. Last week, they announced the opening of their first ever African branch located on the west coast in Accra, Ghana.
Because of the strategic, coastal location of the Kenya city of Mombasa, the country is a key hub for East African trade and has emerged in recent years as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Continued improvement to its transportation infrastructure and ongoing pro-business reforms is driving growth and lucrative opportunities for many foreign businesses and investors.
Bernard Kavoo, a veteran supply chain expert with over 30 years of logistics experience, will head the Kenya branch. Mr. Kavoo has served in various supply chain positions including work at Cadbury Kenya Limited (A member of Mondelez International Confectionery Group) and Bollore Transport and Logistics Kenya Limited. He has keen knowledge in all aspects of logistics in Kenya and the East African region including air and ocean freight forwarding, land transport, and rail transport.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be part of Worldwide Logistics Group’s expansion into Africa,” said Mr. Kavoo. “With their global strength in air freight, sea freight, E-commerce logistics, and warehousing, we’ll be able to provide blue ribbon support for both new and existing customers looking for cost-effective logistics solutions.”
The Nairobi office will be an East African gateway servicing Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Southern Sudan.
Infrastructure Development: Improving Connectivity
The initiation of several significant transportation infrastructure projects in Kenya continues to improve logistics efficiency and enhance Kenya as a strong supply chain contender. One notable example is the expansion work at the Port of Mombasa, the largest deep-water seaport in the East and Central African region. Apart from serving the domestic market, the port handles trade from landlocked neighboring countries such as Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan.
Standard Chartered’s Trade20 Index which lists the top 20 markets with the greatest potential for growth, identifies Kenya as one of the rising stars of global trade. Kenya is a member of two regional economic blocs, the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East African Community (EAC), Together they cover almost half of Africa’s population and provide Kenya with duty-free access to other member states while imposing a common external tariff on non-members.
“While Kenya has shown a strong commitment to facilitate free-trade within Africa, it has also forged numerous trade relationships with other countries,” explained, Mr. Kavoo. Kenya benefits from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which allows duty-free access to the US market for more than 6,000 agricultural products, textiles, and garments.
As well as being a logistics and supply chain hub, Kenya is home to major multinational corporations including General Electric, Google and Visa.