Demand for air cargo between Africa and Asia is increasing steadily due to Chinese and Indian investment in the continent, according to the Senior Vice President of Emirates Cargo.
Ram Menen, speaking at Air Cargo Africa 2011 in Nairobi, said that export goods transported by air almost doubles the volume of imports.
“Africa’s export focus is shifting away from Europe and towards Asia, particularly for perishables," said Menen.
"Trade between India and Africa has risen almost four fold in the last five years, while China has become Kenya's and South Africa's main trade partner for both exports and imports."
Trade deals between China and 45 African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Zambia, Sudan and Zimbabwe has shot up in the past decade. Official figures from the Chinese Government cited that the country’s trade with Africa soared to $115 billion in the first 11 months of 2010.
Growth in African consumer demand has also boosted the volume of exports, with almost 7.5 times more cargo entering Africa than is leaving.
Emirates SkyCargo operates scheduled services to 19 stations in 16 countries across the continent, and Menen said this presence would be made stronger.
"The East African region is hugely important to us and one in which we are keen to grow our operations," he said.
"Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda are especially the countries with tremendous air cargo potential."
Menen credited Africa for recovering well in the wake of the global economic recession but slammed excessive ground handling costs, high fuel costs, limited runway capacity and poor infrastructure in some parts of the continent.
"What the continent needs to grow is expand its air cargo facilities, improve cargo handling capabilities and invest in advanced communications technology, improve customs regulations, look into safety compliance issues and adopt a liberal approach to market access in air cargo operations," he said.
For related articles, take a look at Africa has world's worst safety record for air travel and our blog on how continued growth means business travel in Africa remains strong.
Ram Menen, speaking at Air Cargo Africa 2011 in Nairobi, said that export goods transported by air almost doubles the volume of imports.
“Africa’s export focus is shifting away from Europe and towards Asia, particularly for perishables," said Menen.
"Trade between India and Africa has risen almost four fold in the last five years, while China has become Kenya's and South Africa's main trade partner for both exports and imports."
Trade deals between China and 45 African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Zambia, Sudan and Zimbabwe has shot up in the past decade. Official figures from the Chinese Government cited that the country’s trade with Africa soared to $115 billion in the first 11 months of 2010.
Growth in African consumer demand has also boosted the volume of exports, with almost 7.5 times more cargo entering Africa than is leaving.
Emirates SkyCargo operates scheduled services to 19 stations in 16 countries across the continent, and Menen said this presence would be made stronger.
"The East African region is hugely important to us and one in which we are keen to grow our operations," he said.
"Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda are especially the countries with tremendous air cargo potential."
Menen credited Africa for recovering well in the wake of the global economic recession but slammed excessive ground handling costs, high fuel costs, limited runway capacity and poor infrastructure in some parts of the continent.
"What the continent needs to grow is expand its air cargo facilities, improve cargo handling capabilities and invest in advanced communications technology, improve customs regulations, look into safety compliance issues and adopt a liberal approach to market access in air cargo operations," he said.
For related articles, take a look at Africa has world's worst safety record for air travel and our blog on how continued growth means business travel in Africa remains strong.
