Agility expands presence in East Africa

A customs clearance and freight forwarding specialist, Starfreight Logistics concentrates particularly on the procurement and clearing of goods and machinery into Africa. Its services also include warehousing and project forwarding, haulage, cross-border documentation and transport, air freight and customs examination.

A leading global logistics provider, Agility has over 29,000 employees in more than 550 offices across 100 countries. Through its Global Integrated Logistics (GIL) unit, Agility offers personalized and flexible supply chain solutions supported by a comprehensive network of warehousing facilities, transportation and freight management services.

"For Agility, this acquisition comes at an important time when it is rapidly expanding its network across the globe," said Elias Monem, CEO of Agility - Middle East and Africa.

"This acquisition is in line with our strategy that includes enhancing our strengths and network in emerging markets. More than 70% of the international container cargo comes from or is going to the central and eastern regions of Africa and this acquisition creates a gateway for us to service this rapidly growing market,"

he added.

Starfreight's top customers include Hewlett Packard, Mitsubishi and Nestle while their regional clients include large Kenyan manufacturers in various sectors such as automotive, pharmaceutical, plastic products, glass, paper and agricultural equipment.

Speaking about the acquisition, Dev Bij, Managing Director and Shareholder of Starfreight Logistics Limited, said: "Starfreight is well-positioned among the local and regional logistics players and, with the help of Agility, we will be able to develop our capabilities to now compete on a global scale."

Starfreight has over 150 employees and two offices in Kenya.