New office opened in Senegal

More presence in West Africa: Hapag-Lloyd opened an office in the Senegalese capital Dakar on 2 August 2021. The new office is part of a comprehensive growth strategy in West Africa.

Senegal stretches from the foothills of the Sahara in the north to tropical humid forests in the south. The colorful megacity of Dakar is conveniently located in the far west of the country on the Cap-Vert Peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean. Hapag-Lloyd transports mainly nuts, fish, cotton and minerals from Senegal. Imports consist mainly of chemicals, food and clothing. The country is connected to Hapag-Lloyd's global network through the weekly Dakar Express Service (DEX).

"Hapag-Lloyd aims to be the global quality leader," says Dheeraj Bhatia, Senior Managing Director Middle East and Africa at Hapag-Lloyd. "With our own branch in Senegal, we are taking another step in this direction."

Growing in Africa

Hapag-Lloyd has already been represented in Africa since 2007 and has intensified its own growth strategy on the continent in recent years. This year alone, this includes the opening of its own office in Kenya, the acquisition of the shipping company NileDutch and now also the office in Senegal. The two latest moves strengthen the company's presence in the West African market in particular. Together, these developments are in line with "Strategy 2023," which aims, among other things, to identify attractive key markets and grow there.

"In 2018, we launched an ambitious program to bring more services to Africa," says Dheeraj Bhatia. "We are focusing on both organic and external growth to tap into the continent's key markets. Senegal has shown impressive economic growth in recent years and has extensive natural resources."

With the opening of the new office in Senegal, Hapag-Lloyd now has nine of its own offices on the continent: South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Angola, Cameroon, Congo and Senegal. In addition, Hapag-Lloyd opened a Quality Service Center on the island of Mauritius in 2020.