DP World has signed an agreement with Senegal to build a logistics free zone at Blaise Diagne International Airport, in the capital, Dakar.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of DP World and chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC), signed the MoU with Senegalese foreign minister, Mankeur Ndiaye.
In a sign of the importance of Senegal to DP World’s Africa push, UAE foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also attended the ceremony [pictured extreme left].
Ndiaye told the UN general assembly September 25 that Senegal’s growth model focused on wealth creation and structural transformation.
The new logistics free zone, located around 50 km from the port, will boost DP World’s investments in its Dakar Terminal, which it claims is West Africa’s largest and most modern container terminal.
“It is our long-standing commitment at DP World to provide our global expertise and potentials in port and free zone operation to help these countries build necessary infrastructure for trade and economic development, especially in the port industry where DP World is a global leader with an expanding portfolio of 65 terminals currently operated worldwide,” bin Sulayem said.
Dakar is well situated for, Europe-Africa trade routes, has no tidal restrictions and has good road networks to Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Gambia, as well as rail links to Bamako, Mali.
DP World said it had virtually eliminated waiting time at anchorage and reduced truck turnaround time to less than 20 minutes.
DP World’s terminal was built at the facility in November 2011, doubling capacity to over 600,000 TEU, a DP World said. the company it has created over 200 jobs for local Senegalese.
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