Indu Maritime & Logistics (IML), the freight forwarding and distribution arm of the Indu Group, has made the first move in its “aggressive” growth strategy by expanding operations into East Africa , launching a new regional head office in Djibouti and new contracts in five more East African nations.
Chairman Kishore Lakhani said: “Africa’s markets are being driven by higher trade volumes as local economies diversify and expand. Domestic consumer demand continues to grow and global demand for natural resources escalates. These drivers, as well as improvements to infrastructure, are boosting international and intra-African trade, creating a growing need for logistical support and expertise.
Kishore Lakhani , chairman of INDU Group
“Djibouti is the key to successful expansion into the East African markets as many countries and regions are landlocked, with limited access for delivery of supplies and goods. With our regional head office on the ground in Africa and the network we’ve established through the region we have reliable access that’s able to reach markets that haven’t previously been readily open to distributors, trading companies and organisations wanting to enter or trade.
“We’re looking to open up these new markets to business. From our head office in Dubai we’re able to coordinate logistical challenges originating from anywhere in the world and our goal is to now serve as a ‘highway’ into East Africa, offering business and organisations easy access to both new and established markets in the region.”
In Ernst and Young’s Africa Attractiveness Survey for 2014, five of the six emerging hotspots (Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia) for investment are in East Africa.
