DP World wins a 30-year concession to develop the first deep-sea port in the Democratic Republic of Congo at Banana DP World's investment in the Port of Banana will have a major impact on the  the Democratic Republic of Congo's trade and will significant reduce transportation costs and time, says Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO, DP World. Currently, there is only the riverine port of Matadi positioned along the 37 kilometre coastline. DP World will set up a joint venture holding 70 per cent control while the government of DRC will hold a 30 per cent share to manage and invest in the port. The first phase of the $350 million greenfield project will include a 600-metre quay and 25-hectare yard extension with a container capacity of 350,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) and 1.5 million tons for general cargo. Construction is expected to start later in 2018 and is expected to take approximately tow years to complete. The investment will be spread over two years, but the total project cost of more than $1 billion over four phases will be dependent on market demand for the port, industrial and logistics zone infrastructure. The development gives the Democratic Republic of the Congo the opportunity to be connected into global trade routes and to reduce its dependency on the neighbouring countries’ ports. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO, DP World, said, “We are delighted to extend our African footprint further with a major investment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is Africa’s third-most populous country but has no direct deep-sea port. Investment in this deep-water port will have a major impact on the country’s trade with significant cost and time savings, attracting more direct calls from larger vessels from Asia and Europe, and ultimately acting as a catalyst for the growth of the country and the region’s economy. Banana is a small seaport in the Bas-Congo province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the Atlantic coast. The port is situated in Banana Creek, an inlet about 1km wide on the north bank of the Congo River's mouth, separated from the ocean by a spit of land 3km long and 100 to 400m wide. The port is located on the creek side of the spit, which shelters it from the ocean. It is about 8km south-east of Muanda to which it is connected by a paved road running along the coast. “DP World has become a major player in Africa and the Port of Banana will contribute to our global network and continued growth in the developing markets. We are confident that this investment will deliver attractive returns to shareholders over the longer-term and we look forward to bringing DP World’s world class productivity-enhancing, security, safety and environmental best practices in container terminal development and operation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Jose Makila Sumanda, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications, Democratic Republic of the Congo, said, “We are excited to partner with DP World on this landmark project. The Port of Banana will offer the first deep-water port to the Democratic Republic of the Congo that will dramatically improve the cost and time of trade as the majority of the cargo is still handled by neighbouring countries. “The project will provide us with a first-class marine facility comparable to other African countries in terms of capacity, draft and ability to handle the latest generation of vessels.” “The country was waiting for this strategic and structural project for a long time. We are confident that with DP World as a partner, we will be able to meet the expectations of our people, traders and exporters to have access to more markets and to bring more efficiency and cost effectiveness to international trade.”

Nigeria is one of the most promising and rapidly growing pharmaceutical markets in West Africa with more than 150 pharma formulation manufacturing facilities. The Nigerian pharma industry is growing at 13 % annually. The estimated market size is $1.8billion. In the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) West Africa sub-region approximately 60% of drug manufacturing takes place in Nigeria, underlining the huge sub regional market.   As Africa’s largest economy, most highly populated country, and biggest consumer market, Nigeria has been hailed as the next frontier for pharma after South Africa and the hotspots of Northern Africa. As more people join the ranks of the middle classes, household consumption is expected to grow by $94 billion over the next ten years. As out-of-pocket spending accounts for the bulk of healthcare expenditure, growth in consumption should translate into higher healthcare spending. The Federal Government of Nigeria are incentivising Nigerian drug manufacturers with tax holidays to support extra investment for quality upgrades and new factories. Nigeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector has remained focused on the growth and expansion of drug manufacturing within the country. The sector has invested $300 billion in machinery and quality upgrades as a way to end drug importation. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), such as Ghana, Ivory Coast and Cameroon has 300 million consumers, with combined GDP of $734.8bn and annual growth rate of 6.3%. Nigeria and Ghana provide strong business opportunities for big pharmaceutical and generic pharmaceutical companies because the tropical climate in which Nigeria and Ghana are situated makes the areas a hotbed for infectious diseases, particularly malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS among numerous others. With a combined revenue base estimated to reach $3.12 billion in 2018 from $1.63 billion in 2003 at a compound growth rate of 13.39 per cent, the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria and Ghana is very promising for investors. Counterfeits and Parallel Imports Plague Nigeria’s Pharma Industry In Nigeria’s predominantly informal distribution and retail networks, counterfeit and parallel medicines are often difficult to distinguish from the genuine article. Estimates suggest that informal retail accounts for more than three-quarters of the value of the pharma market, and parallel imports for up to half of drugs sold in some TAs. Several generics companies that have no commercial activities registered in Nigeria still have statin variants that are widely distributed and sold there, for instance. With a population of 180 million currently, the largest in Africa and abundance of human and natural resources, investment in the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry has a high potential of succeeding faster than any other country in the region. Besides, the estimated population increase to 200 million by 2020 according to recent forecasts means that the disease burden of the country will increase and consequently escalate demand for pharmaceutical products. Africa Pharmaceutical Directory: Reach Importers of Pharmaceutical in Africa The research team at Africa Business Pages has compiled a valuable database of pharmaceutical companies in Africa through painstaking work across more than 20 African countries. The result is the compilation of the first even Africa Pharmaceutical Directory which lists more than 6,500 pharmaceutical companies in Africa. This database of pharmaceutical-related companies in Africa lists wholesalers of pharmaceuticals in Africa, pharmacies in Africa, pharmaceutical retailers in Africa, hospital suppliers in Africa, Pharmaceuticals Distributors, Clinics & Hospitals, Government Medical Clinics, Medical Institutes as well Manufacturers of Pharmaceuticals in Africa. The Africa Pharmaceutical Directory is available for download here. Companies and exporters of pharmaceuticals from across the world have been using this database of pharmaceutical companies in Africa to reach potential buyers in Africa of pharmaceuticals and connect with importers of pharmaceuticals in Africa. This Directory contains the latest and complete information about your potential business partners in several cities across Africa.     Listings of Top Companies Dealing in Pharmaceuticals In MS Excel format Classified under different Trade Categories Up-to-date database of tyre dealers in Africa The database is well organised in an Excel sheet and the sortable fields include: Company Name, Address, Phone, Fax, Email, Website, Business Category.

Nigeria has officially committed to participate in Expo 2020 to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Nigeria joins over 150 other countries that have confirmed their participation in Expo 2020 Dubai. Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Lesotho, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Togo have already confirmed their participation in Expo 2020. The UAE which is hosting the event wants Expo 2020 to serve Africa’s interests and provide a platform for connections to be made by, and for, its African partners whether they be government, business or visitors. Emirates Airline, Dubai based currently serves 27 destinations in Africa, including five cargo points.   Africa is the future of global economic growth. While other continents saw slow to negative growth in their economies Africa countries economies were growing at double digit level. So African participation in Expo 2020 is seen as an important element for the success of the mega event. Nigeria has the highest population in Africa and is a traditional trade partner for UAE with non-oil trade between the two countries amounting to $1.3 billion in 2016. Almost all the African nations will pade tiesrticipate in Dubai’s Expo 2020 as bilateral relations between the UAE and African countries are growing economically. “As director general of Expo 2020, I have no doubt to say that the Expo will offer an opportunity to take our relationships (with Africa) to new heights. Our Expo visitors are expected to be primarily international coming from all over the world – including Africa. Almost all African nations have confirmed their participation and we are working closely with them to curate and programme exhibitions that are meaningful to contribute at all levels,” said Reem Ibrahim Al Hashimi, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai. Over the last five years, Dubai Chamber has opened representative offices in Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique and Kenya to assist UAE companies that want to expand their footprint on the continent and also to attract African businesses to Dubai. Mohammed Dansanta Rimi, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the UAE delivered a letter to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee confirming Nigeria’s participation in Expo 2020.   “People and innovation are at the heart of World Expos, which is why we are delighted to welcome Nigeria as the latest country to formally announce its participation at Expo 2020 Dubai,” Sheikh Ahmed said. “Expo 2020 will be the first World Expo to be held in the developing world, and will be for the developing world, so we look forward to working with Nigeria and other confirmed African countries on our journey to 2020,” he added. Mohammed Dansanta Rimi, Ambassador of Nigeria to the UAE said: “We want to show the world how we are working to improve the lives of our youth and people, while opening up our economy and encouraging foreign investment – and Expo will be the ideal platform for us to do so.” Expo 2020 Dubai will be held between October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021 and is expected to draw 25 million visitors.