Dubai-based global marine terminal operator DP World announced that it has been granted a 25-year concession to develop and operate a new logistics centre in Kigali, Rwanda.
 
The DP World Kigali Logistics project is a greenfield concession agreement and the first phase will be built on 90,000 sq m  (969,000 sq ft) area with a 12,000 sq m (129,000 sq ft) container yard and a 19,600 sq m (211,000 sq ft) warehousing facility.
Estimated annual capacity is 50,000 TEUs and 640,000 tonnes of warehousing space. Total project cost is estimated at $35 million, and further development will be phased in line with demand growth, said a statement.
 
Rwanda aims to enhance the country’s logistics industry to support the export of products for regional and international markets. The DP World Kigali Logistics Centre is expected to significantly contribute to the development of this strategy.
 
DP World chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said: “DP World is delighted to have been granted this concession in Kigali, Rwanda. We are excited by this opportunity to use our expertise to build best-in-class infrastructure to ensure the continued development and growth for Kigali and the wider economy.”
 
DP World Group chief executive officer Mohammed Sharaf said: “We continue to be optimistic about the outlook for Africa and are proud to expand our footprint in the region. We aim to further develop the logistics sector through DP World Kigali Logistics to help meet the country’s 2020 vision of creating a strong domestic logistics services operator in the region.”
 
The partnership is further strengthened by Rwanda’s economic transformation in recent years, consistently delivering over 7 per cent GDP growth and today it is also ranked as the most competitive country in East Africa by the World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness report. - TradeArabia News Service