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Africa has not always been viewed as the safest place to invest, not least because many countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, rank highly in corruption, human rights violations and political instability indexes – Kenya’s recent political and ethnic strife being a case in point.

Political tension has increased congestion at the port of Mombasa, but all is not lost, writes Benedict Young

With traffic hitting new heights, operators are bidding for a share in developments, writes Gavin van Marle in Cairo

No sooner has Tangiers opened up one new container terminal than another is being developed, writes Gavin van Marle

Western African business has long been conducted along European lines, but this looks set to change as eastern influences emerge, writes Steve Cameron

Western African business has long been conducted along European lines, but this looks set to change as eastern influences emerge, writes Steve Cameron

The region's economy is booming, but investment in infrastructure is needed for this to continue, writes Steve Cameron

Ghana is the beneficiary of a new container terminal at its main port of Tema (right) with a water depth of 10-11 metres and three gantry cranes.

APM Terminals has resolved its long-running legal battle over the legality of the concessioning process in Luanda, Angola. It has staffed up its new management team to take over the container terminal operation, Sogester, which had been run by the government on an interim basis. The share holdings for Sogester during the 20-year concession are reported to be: Gestão de Fundos, a local pension fund, 49%; APMT, 40%; and Maersk Line, 11%.

In the Cape Verde Islands, the ministry of transportation and the governing body for ports are the project sponsors for the US$25m development of the port of Praia, and the $15m port of Palmeira development. Finance is being provided by Millennium Challenge Corporation, which was established in January 2004 and is a US government corporation designed to work with some of the poorest countries in the world.

Since becoming the major share holder in 2006, investment firm Lonrho Africa is working on plans to create a Singapore-inspired deepwater port in West Africa. The project involves expansion of the Luba Freeport in Equatorial Guinea to handle the world's largest tanker and container vessels.

The progress made through port privatisation has been undermined by customs delays, writes Steve Cameron

Improving customs clearances and intermodal transport are vital if the region's growth is to continue, writes Steve Cameron

Vital work to increase the capacity at Cape Town Container Terminal is now underway, taking into account environmental and practical concerns, writes Benedict Young

South Africa's Transnet National Ports Authority acknowledges that the country's existing deepsea container terminals at Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth will run out of capacity by 2020, even if they undergo major expansions. The solution to this capacity crunch is a new container terminal at the newly built port of Ngqura (or Coega).

Customs clearance has seen major progress since a single system was put in place in southern Africa, writes Benedict Young

Christopher Blackstone bemoans the continuing echoes of European colonialism and the failure to see the strengths of the African people

Jens Floe, MD of Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) talks to Gavin van Marle