DHL is committing more than €300 million to accelerate the growth of trade in Africa

• DHL Group is investing over €300 million in Sub-Saharan Africa to expand infrastructure, enhance logistics capabilities and support growth in sectors such as e-commerce, energy, perishables and healthcare across its express, global shipping and supply chain divisions.
• This investment is in line with Africa’s growing trade momentum under the African Continental Free Trade Area, as the region drives global trade growth and strengthens linkages with global value chains through improved logistics and digital tools.
• DHL aims to enhance reliability, visibility and sustainability in African trade by expanding its air network, cold chain capacity and contract logistics, while supporting SMEs and encouraging renewable energy and digital innovation across the continent.

DHL Group has announced a planned investment of more than €300 million in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), reaffirming its long-term commitment to a region of increasing strategic importance to global trade. The multi-year initiative will be rolled out across DHL Express, DHL Global Forwarding and DHL Supply Chain to expand infrastructure, enhance service capabilities and unlock opportunities for businesses across key sectors including e-commerce, perishables, energy, life sciences and healthcare.

Trade opportunities for Africa are on the rise as the pace of regional integration accelerates. The African Continental Free Trade Area works to create a continental market capable of deepening intra-African trade and opening new corridors with the rest of the world. Progress depends on continued improvements in infrastructure and trade facilitation, but cross-border flows have remained resilient and African companies are increasingly linked to global value chains.

According to the latest update to the DHL Global Connectedness Tracker, Sub-Saharan Africa led all regions of the world in the first half of 2025 with a 10% year-on-year increase in trade value (in current US dollars), ahead of North America by 7% and South and Central America and the Caribbean by 5%. Current forecasts as of September 2025 indicate that the region’s trade volume will grow at an average rate of 4.3% annually over the period 2025-2029, the second fastest growth globally after South and Central Asia.

“Africa is at a pivotal moment in its trade journey,” said John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express. “Despite global volatility, the continent continues to show resilience and momentum. Our investment reflects confidence in Africa’s trajectory and DHL’s commitment to enabling trade flows that drive inclusive growth. “By strengthening our network and capabilities, we aim to make it easier for African businesses, from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to large enterprises, to compete on the global stage.”

Across DHL Express, the investment will include upgrading gateways, adding flight upgrading and extending time-bound coverage to second cities that emerge as demand hubs under the African Continental Free Trade Area. As the only integrator with a dedicated air network in Sub-Saharan Africa, Express will more tightly connect these cities to the Africa-Europe and Africa-Asia corridors, building on recent growth in Ethiopia and Nigeria.

“Our focus is on being closer to customers and making cross-border shipping easier and more reliable,” said Henny Heymans, CEO of DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa. “As trade expands, businesses demand predictable transit times, consistent delivery performance and support that understands local conditions. By raising the bar in service and proximity, we will help more African businesses trade efficiently and compete.” On a bigger square.”

DHL Global Forwarding will focus its investments on strengthening key industrial solutions that drive trade growth in Africa. The department works to expand its capabilities in energy and industry projects, and to support Africa’s role in the global energy transition. enhancing cold chain logistics and perishable materials for agriculture and horticulture exporters; and expanding its expertise in life sciences and healthcare through specialized, temperature-controlled transportation. These improvements build on DHL’s well-established freight network and customs expertise across key African trade lanes linking the continent to Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Amadou Diallo, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Middle East and Africa, added: “Customers are dealing with changing trade patterns and stricter regulatory requirements, so reliability and visibility are more important than ever. We are enhancing our shipping solutions with deeper local expertise and enhanced digital tools, giving customers clearer control over their shipments from Origin to destination. The goal is clear and straightforward: keep goods moving predictably and help customers grow where demand arises.”

DHL Supply Chain will add transportation-led capabilities and solutions with a clear focus on the transportation, life sciences and healthcare sectors, including additional temperature-sensitive capacity to support critical healthcare flows and fast-moving fulfillment as supply chains mature, particularly as demand for third-party logistics continues to grow in the core South African market.

“DHL’s supply chain in South Africa is expanding as the economy gains momentum and supply chains become more sophisticated,” said Orkun Saruhanoğlu, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Middle East and Africa at DHL. “We are seeing increasing demand for specialist, outsourced logistics services, particularly in life sciences, healthcare and across the transportation sector. By adding capabilities and strengthening Transportation-based solutions and applying our contract logistics expertise, we will help customers improve service. Quality, manage risk and scale with confidence.”

DHL invests in programs that expand participation in trade and support sustainable growth. Through the GoTrade initiative, the company provides SMEs with training and customs expertise to access international markets. Additionally, the company is piloting renewable energy and alternative fuel projects across its facilities in sub-Saharan Africa and promoting digitalization through AI-powered monitoring, route optimization, and digital customs tools to reduce friction in cross-border trade.

With unparalleled coverage across all African markets, the DHL Group remains uniquely positioned to connect the continent to the world and enable the next chapter of its growth.