Following the inauguration of the Kigali Logistics Platform last October, DP World has expanded the portfolio of Rwanda’s imports and exports for fresh produce and various perishable goods through the opening of the country’s first fully fledged cold storage.
The Kigali Logistics Platform serves as a key gateway to the heart of Africa through several road links, connecting Rwanda to neighbouring landlocked countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Uganda, according to DP World. The Platform also enjoys connectivity with the Port of Mombasa in Kenya and Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, securing two key trade gateways to the sea.
DP World says that the opening of the new facility is expected to pave the way for growth in Rwanda’s agricultural sector by benefiting farmers who have been expanding their produce beyond tea and coffee, to export a range of vegetables and fruits to the international market. DP World’s cold supply chain provides end-to-end transport, reducing costs and delivery times, and helping Rwandan importers and exporters, according to the announcement.
The recent opening of the 500-sqm cold storage is part of DP World Kigali’s objectives to enable smarter trade and reduce logistics costs in Rwanda, by attracting investment and offering companies new options for their stored imports and exports, the global terminal operator says.
DP World adds that the cold storage could be beneficial for pharmaceutical companies as it would increase their import capabilities.
Sumeet Bhardwaj, CEO of DP World Kigali, comments:
“By providing cold supply chain solutions to meet the increased demand for moving fresh, perishable goods in Rwanda, DP World’s new facility will expand the operations of the Kigali Logistics Platform while enabling greater volumes of imports and exports across key sectors, such as FMCG, healthcare and hospitality."
UAE-based company announced that to date, several local and multi-national companies have signed up to utilise the new cold storage and DP World plans to expand capacity to 1,000 sqm in 2021, to cater to larger volumes of cargo in the future, supporting Rwanda’s economy.
In October 2019, DP World inaugurated the Kigali Logistics Platform in the presence of President of the Republic of Rwanda, H.E. Paul Kagame and DP World Group Chairman and CEO, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, where the two parties discussed the future outlook and growth plans for the Platform.
The facility, which has been operational since September 2018 in test mode, has an annual capacity of 50,000 TEU and 19,000sqm of bonded warehousing capacity, making it one of the biggest logistics hubs in East Africa. When operating at full capacity, it has the potential to save Rwandan businesses up to US$50 million a year in logistics costs, DP World claims.
