As shifting geopolitics, rising tariffs, and disrupted supply chains reshape global trade, Africa stands at a pivotal moment – one defined by self-determination. At DP World, our purpose is clear: to make trade flow and unlock new possibilities for our people, customers and communities. We’re accelerating trade through seamless, future-ready supply chains built to adapt to a rapidly changing world
With operations in 48 countries by over 28,000 employees, DP World Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a leading end-to-end supply chain solutions provider including ports and terminals, logistics, economic zones, and market access.
Africa already holds the winning cards: abundant resources, a youthful population, and a growing consumer base. Yet intra-African trade remains just 15% – far below Asia or Europe. DP World is helping bridge that gap by removing bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the supply chain.
We’re building the infrastructure that drives Africa’s economic potential, transforming trade corridors, energising regional economies, and enabling scalable, inclusive growth across the continent. We’ve invested $3 billion in Africa to date, with another $3 billion committed over the next 3–5 years for ports and logistics infrastructure development. By integrating physical infrastructure with smart technology, we’re delivering efficient, end-to-end solutions that minimise disruptions, enable better ways to trade and are positioning sub-Saharan Africa as a global trade hub.
We are operating and developing six strategic marine terminals that support these trade flows:
- Berbera in Somaliland, where our modern container terminal is transforming access to Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa
- In Senegal, Dakar’s Ndayane Port, a deep-water facility under construction that will become one of West Africa’s largest
- The Banana Port in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the first phase of development will feature a 600-meter quay, handling capacity of 450,000 TEUs per year and 30HA of storage area
- Mozambique’s Maputo Port, currently in an expansion phase to deepen the berth to 16 meters and double throughput to 530 000 TEUs
- The Dar es Salaam Port, Tanzania, where DP World signed a 30-year concession agreement with the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) in 2023 and is investing $250 million to upgrade and modernise the terminal
- In Angola, the Luanda Port can handle the largest classes of vessels with a capacity of 400,000 TEUs, over 600 reefer plugs and a depth of 13.5m alongside the quay length of 610m
For businesses to thrive under the African Continental Free Trade Area, they need more than roads and ports, they need access. That is why our trade ecosystem including logistics and market access delivers integrated end-to-end supply chain solutions.
Our logistics fleet of more than 7,000 trucks travels over 1 million km per day and enables more than 1.7 million deliveries of everything from minerals to consumer goods annually. With a Market Access footprint of 206 warehouses (owned/managed) and 1.42 million m2 of space, we support more than 500,000 points of sale across SSA.
We operate 35 Freight Forwarding offices in SSA – both DP World-owned and third-party agent-run. Staffed by experts in land, sea, and air logistics, these offices are fully integrated into our global freight forwarding network of over 300 locations and connected to local customs systems – reducing delays, enhancing compliance, and accelerating growth for local exporters and multinationals alike.
Trade Done Right
At DP World, we believe trade creates a compounding effect – where economic, social, and environmental returns reinforce one another, where trade should uplift economies and protect ecosystems.
In 2022 and 2023, our operations in Nigeria and South Africa contributed over $13 billion in socio-economic value and supported more than 19,000 jobs (direct and indirect).
From an environmental perspective in 2024:
• Six percent of our fleet are greener alternatives than traditional fleet in our SSA markets
• More than 10 percent of our energy mix in SSA came from renewables
• We recycled over 25 percent of our solid waste
Also in 2024, we invested $4.5 million in community projects across SSA through DP World and the DP World Foundation, focusing on education, healthcare, the upliftment of women and children and environmental sustainability.
Through the Solar Mamas programme with Barefoot College International, 19 women in Senegal have graduated as solar technicians, electrifying over 1,200 homes. The successful programme was then expanded to Somaliland, where we selected 10 women to travel to Zanzibar for a five-month training course in solar electrification. Since graduating, they’ve returned home to electrify 765 homes across Berbera and Hargeisa. The next cohorts will be from Angola and Senegal.
In education, we support school infrastructure, scholarships, and delivering vocational skills training to equip learners for future employment. In South Africa, DP World and the Motus Community Trust have cumulatively invested $7million in 90 library resource centres, impacting over 100,000 beneficiaries with access to books and digital learning tools. In addition, our logistics teams run school-based road safety campaigns to protect young learners walking long distances to school.
To protect the environment and preserve ocean health, we support multi-year mangrove restoration programmes in Senegal, Angola, and Mozambique. We partner with WaterAid to provide climate-resilient water access, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and access. Our first WaterAid WASH programme was implemented at healthcare facilities, serving over 10,000 people in Niassa Province, Mozambique. In Nigeria, our three-year partnership with WaterAid in Bauchi province is expected to reach 15,000 people across selected locations in the state with access to basic water supply services, 4,000 with hygiene behaviour change interventions and 1,000 with access to basic sanitation services. In August 2025, we launched another WaterAid partnership in collaboration with PepsiCo, in Lagos, Nigeria.
Our support of Unjani Clinics has extended quality, affordable, primary healthcare services through a network of 220+ nurse-owned container-based clinics in underserved areas across South Africa. To date, they have collectively provided over 6 million patient consultations.
In conclusion, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is unlocking a new era of opportunity, and DP World is committed to enabling that transformation. With the right infrastructure, connected trade corridors, and resilient logistics, Africa is shifting from fragmented trade to integrated growth. From the Copperbelt to key corridors in East and West Africa, we’re connecting producers to markets through resilient, multimodal ecosystems that integrate ports, roads, and rail.
DP World is proud to be a long-term partner in shaping the future of the continent – empowering Africa to trade smarter, grow faster, and compete confidently on the global stage.
