By Eamonn Ryan derived from the webinar.
The Global Cold Chain Foundation (GCCF) recently completed an important study on the cold chain sector in West Africa, specifically in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. The webinar that accompanied the study highlighted the findings and recommendations from the assessment. This is part three of a 14-part series covering a webinar on this topic.
The webinar featured a panel of experts, including Greg Laurin from Conestoga Cold Storage, Nicholas Pedneault from Congebec, Roudy Akiki from CT-Technologies, and GCCF Africa’s own Paul Matthew, Amanda Brondy and Madison Jaco.
On the other hand, the region’s ports are vital to its cold chain infrastructure. In Ghana, about 85% of trade is handled through the ports of Tema and Takoradi. These ports serve as crucial logistics hubs for the region, offering shipping routes to and from all continents. Tema, in particular, serves as a hub for inland clearance depots, warehouses and other logistics services. The Port of Takoradi is focused on containerised, bulk and oil shipments. However, some of the ongoing projects, such as the new Port of Keta, are not expected to be completed quickly due to Ghana’s current economic challenges. Despite some setbacks, Tema remains resilient, with improvements in infrastructure such as new gantry cranes and upgrades to metal work.
Roudy Akiki from CT-Technologies highlighted the continued demand for cold storage solutions, even in the face of economic struggles, and the shift toward more energy-efficient ammonia systems in response to both environmental concerns and rising energy costs. He remains optimistic about Tema’s growth in the coming years, particularly with private sector investments focused on cold chain infrastructure.
In Côte d’Ivoire, the Port of Abidjan is the largest in West Africa and serves as a key point for trans-shipment to both West and Central Africa. While there is some cold chain infrastructure around the port, it remains insufficient to support the growing demands of the sector. During interviews with cold chain operators, mixed feedback was received about the port’s performance over the past year. However, following infrastructure expansion at the port, particularly after 2019, activity has increased, although the growth has been uneven across various industries.
In Senegal, the Port of Dakar handles nearly 90% of the country’s trade, though it is plagued by congestion and inadequate transportation for temperature-sensitive products. Many goods that should be transported using temperature-controlled vehicles are instead moved in ambient conditions due to a lack of infrastructure and traffic delays. However, plans are underway to relocate the port outside the city to reduce congestion, and significant investments in new port infrastructure by DP World are expected to improve the situation. It is anticipated that these developments will take between five to ten years to complete.