African Ports at a Crossroads: Seizing Global Trade Shifts and the AfCFTA Opportunity

By Danilo Desiderio

The world’s trade winds are shifting – literally and figuratively. With rising geopolitical tensions, tariff wars, and supply chain reconfigurations between major Northern Hemisphere economies, global commerce is undergoing a historic pivot.

And quietly but determinedly, African ports are stepping onto the global stage, positioning themselves not just as regional gateways, but as indispensable nodes in the next era of international trade.

At the heart of this transformation is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), now operational and poised to unlock the largest free trade zone in the world by number of participating countries. Combined with global trade diversification away from traditional East-West corridors, African ports – from Mombasa to Lagos, Dar es Salaam to Lomé – are seizing a dual opportunity: to capture redirected global flows and to dominate the continent’s surging intra-African trade.

But here’s the hard truth: opportunity does not guarantee success. In a hyper-competitive global logistics landscape, African ports must outperform – not just participate.

The Battle for Regional Supremacy Heats Up

Sub-regional port competition across Africa is no longer theoretical – it’s fierce, strategic, and accelerating.

East Africa led the charge. Ports like Mombasa (Kenya) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) invested early in infrastructure and connectivity, aiming to become the primary maritime gateways for landlocked neighbors like Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But West Africa is now firing back – hard.

Ports including Lomé (Togo), Tema (Ghana), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), and Lagos (Nigeria) are aggressively expanding capacity, deepening channels, and upgrading terminals to position themselves as transshipment powerhouses – not just for West Africa, but for the entire continent. Their goal?

To intercept global cargo flows before they are rerouted through Dubai, Singapore, or Santos.

Lomé: A Case Study in Strategic Ambition

No port better exemplifies this ambition than the Port of Lomé, nestled strategically in the Gulf of Guinea.

In 2024 alone, Lomé handled 30.64 million tonnes of cargo – a 1.85 percent year-over-year increase – with container throughput surging 5.19 percent to 2 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs). Of that, a staggering 20.2 million tonnes was transshipment cargo, serving landlocked Sahelian nations like Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali – countries with no direct sea access but growing trade appetites.

Lomé’s success isn’t accidental. It’s engineered.

• Deep-water access allows it to welcome the world’s largest container vessels – think 19,000+ TEU behemoths over 400 meters long.
• High crane productivity ensures rapid turnaround – a critical metric for global shipping lines.
• A €500+ million (US$588+ million) expansion program is underway, including dredging at the Lomé Container Terminal to future-proof capacity for mega-ships and raise throughput to 2.7 million TEUs.

Lomé isn’t just competing regionally – it’s benchmarking itself against global hubs. And it’s winning market share from neighbors by offering reliability, scale, and efficiency.

Why Global Trade Won’t Automatically “Choose” Africa

Let’s be clear: global trade doesn’t divert out of charity. It follows efficiency, predictability, and cost.

While trade tensions between the U.S., EU, and China may nudge some flows toward Southern Hemisphere markets, African ports won’t automatically benefit. Without:

• Operational excellence (minimal delays, 24/7 operations, digital clearance)
• Political and regulatory stability (predictable customs, transparent tariffs)
• Integration into global liner networks (via alliances, port calls, and service contracts)
• Competitive shipping costs (including hinterland logistics)

…cargo will bypass Africa entirely, rerouting through established hubs like Singapore, Dubai, or Santos (Brazil) – hubs that have spent decades optimizing for global trade.

Africa’s ports must not only be open for business – they must be irresistible for business.

The AfCFTA Factor: Intra-African Trade as the Game-Changer

Beyond global trade shifts, the real long-term prize lies within Africa itself.

The AfCFTA – covering 1.3 billion people and a combined GDP of over US$3 trillion – is expected to boost intra-African trade by more than 50 percent by 2030. That means more containers moving between Lagos and Nairobi, Abidjan and Addis Ababa, Lomé and Johannesburg.

Ports that invest today in regional connectivity, digital customs platforms, and cross-border logistics corridors will dominate tomorrow’s African supply chains. Those that don’t? They risk becoming irrelevant – bypassed by road, rail, or more efficient coastal rivals.

The Road Ahead: From Regional Players to Global Contenders

African ports are no longer passive recipients of global trade – they are active architects of their own destiny.

But ambition must be matched with execution. Success requires:

1. Continuous infrastructure investment – not just terminals, but roads, rail, and dry ports.
2. Public-private alignment – governments must enable; operators must perform.
3. Digital transformation – automated ports, paperless trade, real-time tracking.
4. Strategic partnerships – with global shipping alliances, logistics providers, and neighboring countries.

The Port of Lomé proves it’s possible. Others – from Durban to Djibouti, from Tema to Tangier – are following suit.

Africa’s Maritime Moment Is Now – But It Won’t Wait

The convergence of global trade realignment and the AfCFTA boom presents Africa with a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Ports are the frontline of this transformation – the physical and economic gateways through which Africa’s trade future will flow.

But time is not on Africa’s side. Global shippers are pragmatic. They will go where it’s fastest, cheapest, and most reliable.

African ports have the geography. They have the demand. Now, they must deliver the performance.

The world is watching. The cargo is waiting. The moment is here.

Danilo Desiderio serves as the CEO of Desiderio Consultants Ltd in Nairobi, Kenya, specializing in African customs, trade, and transport policies. He is a customs and trade expert at the World Bank and a senior associate to the Horn Economic and Social Policy Institute (HESPI).