MAPUTO CORRIDOR

All three companies featured on this page share a common vision of leveraging the Maputo corridor’s strategic location as a logistics hub to serve the neighboring landlocked countries and the wider region.

Jason Scully CEO, AGILITY MOZAMBIQUE

AS A GLOBAL company with operations in over 100 countries, we have access to critical information about border closures, freight capacities, and more. We harnessed this knowledge into a COVID-19 microsite, which has become the industry’s most complete reporting on air, ocean, and road freight restrictions. Hundreds of employees around the world were involved in this effort, and we know first-hand that it has become an invaluable resource for many of our customers. We are continuing to move cargo for our customers, despite these challenging times, and are also donating logistics services to help move essential supplies. In Mozambique, we supported a local NGO importing PPE to fight COVID-19 by providing pro bono transport and storage. At Agility, it is part of our culture to give back to the communities where we operate—it is the right thing to do. That value is even more evident during this global crisis. In Maputo, our Agility Africa team is opening the 32,000-sqm Agility Logistics Park (ALP). The warehouse park is part of a network of warehouses that we are building across the continent. Across Africa, our ALPs provide world-class logistics facilities with 24-hour security, reliable power, and connectivity, and international-standard warehousing and logistics services. Our goal is to give everyone, from small businesses to multinationals, the chance to grow their business in the region.

Arlindo Gonçalo Chilundo CEO, SILOS AND GRAIN TERMINAL OF MATOLA (STEMA)

IN TERMS OF DIRECT CONTRIBUTION, we employ a workforce of 87 people. We specialize in logistics and can do it at competitive prices. We are a leader in building and optimizing logistics. From a wider societal perspective, our role is to help control market prices of basic food items. Serving consumers is more important for us than making profits. We provide services for the entire region, harnessing multiple currencies for the country and contributing to regional trade flows. We strive to be one of the best grain terminals in the region by supplying good services in a timely fashion and keeping our processes and procedures in line with international standards. STEMA’s core business is to supply logistics services for the Mozambican milling industry and other bulk commodities. The commodities we load are primarily maize and wheat, but we are well prepared to also handle soya beans, soymeal, and rice. We also supply other countries in the SADC, mainly South Africa and Zimbabwe, and deal with agriculture traders globally. We are interested in new markets if the right conditions are in place. For example, Botswana is an appealing potential target because it has a growing demand for sorghum, which we can provide. We have 27 concrete silos with a total capacity of 45,000 tons. As for the infrastructure equipment at our maritime terminal, we have a 55-m long berth and length capacity to handle up to 40,000 tons. We are well equipped to load ships, trucks, and rail. Our processes for control loading and unloading are fully automated and computerized by Siemens.

Christian Roeder CEO, DP WORLD MAPUTO

MAPUTO PORT SERVES as a great alternative to Durban, as it is ideally located to serve Zimbabwe, Eswatini, the Gauteng region, and other parts of South Africa. We serve the mining sector from South Africa and Zimbabwe, but there is a great deal of potential in agriculture in areas just across the Mozambican border. Over the years, the port and container terminal have undergone significant improvements. In 2019, the terminal made good progress with transit cargo, though we still work mainly with local cargo. We need to ensure an unbureaucratic service with border crossing operational 24 hours a day to further improve the position of the Maputo Logistics Corridor. So far, the ambitious growth in transit volumes at DP World Maputo and the Maputo Port as a whole have been mainly served through truck movements. Given the congestion and costs, trucking does not represent a workable, reliable, and cost-competitive solution in the long run. Developing rail cargo in Mozambique will take significant efforts and time, so it is key to have private clients on board to drive the change. As partners of CFM in the Maputo Container Terminal, we work closely with it and are strategically placed to leverage this partnership to develop railway cargo. This opportunity will be a great enabler of trade for Mozambique and the region; all parties will benefit from it. This region is full of potential, and we will be part of the country’s future. We are extremely positive about the future of the Maputo Corridor.