
Transport
Port Series: Abidjan Port, Côte d’Ivoire
By TBY | Ivory Coast | Oct 06, 2024
Image credit: Shutterstock/Agre guy thony roger
Rather like Dar es Salaam, Istanbul, or New York, the commercial heart of Côte d’Ivoire beats outside its capital.
Following independence in 1960, Abidjan, situated on the southern Atlantic coast of Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa, remained the nation’s third capital after independence in 1960—following Grand-Bassam and Bingerville—until 1983.
Abidjan, once boasting the handle of “Africa’s Paris”, today remains home to West Africa’s preeminent port, Abidjan Port, which also ranks second after the Port of Durban.
The port was officially inaugurated in 1951 upon the opening of the Vridi Canal and is owned by the Ports Authority Port Autonome d’Abidjan.
By official numbers, its traffic alone accounts for 90% of the country’s customs revenues generating around 60% of its income.
It follows then that with close to 70% of industrial enterprises utilizing its facilities, the port handles 70% of GDP. That is also the percentage of the external trade of landlocked African countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Guinea.
New terminal, new promise…
The year of 2023 began with a brand-new second container terminal, namely the Côte d’Ivoire Terminal, a Bolloré Ports and APM Terminals subsidiary resulting from a USD400 million investment.
The doubled processing capacity was a major shot in the arm for the facility, taking the annual capacity to 2.5 million TEU containers. The addition followed a capacity increase in 2015 that boosted the port’s capacity to 1.5 million TEU.
The second terminal, capable of handling vessels with a draught of 16m along 1,100m quays, has rendered the port a tasty proposition for neighboring countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
…with green credentials
The Côte d’Ivoire Terminal acknowledged as ‘Green’ by certification firm Bureau Veritas, commenced operations with Ship-to-Shore (STS) and seven Rubber-Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes.
Furthermore, the handling equipment boasts a cutting-edge control system and a next-generation power supply system employing green technology that curbs CO2 emissions and energy consumption.
Abidjan’s development
2024 was a significant year for the city, which hosted an event addressing the continent’s logistical potential. The need for many African ports to rectify shortcomings and achieve that potential came into sharp relief at the second African Development Bank (AfDB) Transport Forum (ATF) on September 18-20. The fittingly ambitious theme was Africa on the Move—Accelerating Sustainable Transport and Logistics Connectivity.
Pressing considerations
According to the Africa Development Bank, by 2050, the continent’s population is set to double to 2.5 billion, with an economic output projected to have triple a decade earlier, placing huge demand on logistic capabilities.
When combined with the impressive pace of growth being observed in many countries, along with persistent urbanization, more energetic industrial activity and international trade, efficient and linked transport networks are not optional.
In fact, the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) calculates that the transport infrastructure will need to accommodate a 6 to 8-fold rise in traffic—this need for efficient transport capabilities will be more acute in landlocked nations. PIDA is a continental initiative championed by all African nations aimed at transforming Africa through the mobilization of modern transport, energy, and technological infrastructure.
A major advantage
African Development Bank Group’s latest Macroeconomic Performance and Outlook (MEO) on Africa, released in February 2024, considers the roughly 40 container-handling ports on the continent. It notes the lack of uniform laws, with each nation’s regulations hampering effective goods handling while raising costs incurred.
While highlighting inadequate infrastructure, the ATF concluded that this actually presents a major opportunity for the long-term benefit of the transportation matrix. ‘Africa has one significant advantage compared to other regions – it is underdeveloped and has the opportunity to build climate-resilient infrastructure from scratch.’ This applies to every node, from rail and road to sea transportation.
More berth
In March 2024, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) inked a deal with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire for a Japanese ODA loan of up to USD16.5 million destined for the Abidjan Port Cereal Berth Construction Project (II). Official development assistance (ODA) loans constitute state aid geared at promoting economic development in developing countries. The focus of the loan is a new cereal berth at Abidjan Port, to accommodate rising demand domestically and in Burkina Faso and Mali.
Sector data shows that 2023 was a good year for Côte d’Ivoire’s ports, with a notable rise in freight traffic at the Port of Abidjan, up 21% YoY from 28.6 million tons to 34.8 million tons in 2023. Another of the nation’s ports, the port of San Pedro, also posted a YoY rise of 13% in goods traffic to 7,023,763 tons. National traffic, indicative of the nation’s wider economic performance, rose 10%, from 25.2 million tons in 2022 to 27.7 million tons in 2023.
These performances confirm the importance of the nation’s logistics sector and the continent-wide need to build on the remedial initiatives explored above. The latter promise, if realized, to stand the continent in good stead for growth.
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