Across Africa, investments in physical and social infrastructure have failed to keep pace with growth and demand, creating a serious infrastructure deficit that slows investment, the achievement of broad-based and inclusive growth, and poverty reduction. Without major investments in infrastructure, one thing is clear: Africa’s economic and social development will continue to seriously lag behind that of the rest of the world. The “structural transformation” that the AfDB and its partners are determined to achieve will not materialize. Yet Africa’s infrastructure deficit can be redressed.

Brazilian mining, logistics and energy group Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) will be undertaking exploration activities in Angola, Gabon and Mozambique during the course of this year.

It is reported that auto maker Toyota is setting up a KES 1.28 billion logistics hub in Nairobi that will be used by 13 countries in sub Saharan Africa to source vehicles directly from Japan.Through its trading and investment arm Toyota Tsusho Corporation, the firm on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vision 2030 delivery board that will facilitate the establishment of the centre and support collaborations with the Kenyan government in the automobile, power and energy, petroleum and mineral resource, environmental infrastructure, agricultural industrialisation fields.

Poor infrastructure, high transport costs and the loss of technical capacity will hinder the Republic of Congo’s growth as well as efforts to achieve regional economic integration, according to a recent African Development Bank study, Infrastructure Development in Congo: Constraints and Medium-Term Priorities.According to the Africa Infrastructure Development Index, Congo ranked 24th out of 53 countries overall in 2009, with an even lower score in areas of energy infrastructure, quality of roads and access to drinking water. Only 7.1 per cent of the country’s roads are paved, and its railway network is poor. A lack of maintenance and rehabilitation has resulted in the deterioration of existing infrastructure and high service costs, particularly in the transport sector.

Two of Africa's leading transportation executives will kick off the African debut of the 2012 Breakbulk Africa Congress on August 7 and 8 at the Southern Sun Cape Sun Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa. Southern Africa's Agendas to be discussed are: Transnet's recently announced, four-point growth strategy, which includes plans to solve many of South Africa's infrastructure challenges by investing R110.6 billion (US$12.9 billion) in new rail equipment, the widening and deepening of ports, and building a new pipeline. Topics on Africa include: capital projects in East Africa, border bottlenecks, port productivity in West Africa, piracy and compliance.

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, Donald Kaberuka, has received the United States Treasury Inaugural Development Impact Honors Award bestowed on the Mali-Senegal Road project, one of the Bank Group’s Regional multinational projects. The project was designed to help strengthen economic integration and sub-regional cooperation in West Africa; to open up the hinterland countries of the sub-region and to establish a permanent highway link through the south between Mali and Senegal; and to remove constraints on movement so as to reduce overall transport costs and foster economic exchanges between the two countries. closing the infrastructure deficit is vital for economic prosperity and sustainable development in Africa. This is more so, considering Africa’s challenging economic geography that requires huge infrastructure for the continent to realize its growth potential and equitably share the benefits of an increasingly connected global economy. The President cited the mandate given to the bank to operationalize, in partnership with the African Union, the Infrastructure part of New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) program and other continental collaborative efforts and programmes in which the Bank is involved to help provided needed infrastructure across the continent.

Most African countries have come to recognize the critical role that the private sector can play to help the continent reach its full economic and social potential, according to the 2011 African Development Report of the African Development Bank (AfDB) launched in Arusha.Focused on private sector as the engine of Africa’s economic development, the report examines the challenges facing the sector’s development and highlights ways to address these challenges, taking country differences into account.

The first "New York Forum AFRICA " will take place in Libreville, the capital of Gabon, from June 8-10, 2012.This Forum aims to become the largest conference for economic leaders, young entrepreneurs, sovereign and investment funds, political and media leaders, experts and economists who share an interest for Africa, a continent whose progress is undeniable.

Traders who use Mombasa port in Kenya have supported the recommendation that the port should be run by private companies to increase its efficiency. This comes after recent findings by the Society for International Development (SID) concluded that the port should be declared "East Africa hot zone" and given independence.

The Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations (FEAFFA) in collaboration with the East Africa Revenue Authorities are in the process of upgrading one of their vital clearing/forwarding regional training programs.The freight logistics industry in East Africa has been largely characterised by poor business practices due to a generally inadequate skills pool and limited use of modern technologies. The aim of the re-evaluated curriculum is to reduce the time and cost involved in movement of goods across the East African corridors by raising the professional standards of clearing and forwarding agents.

Famous in anthropological circles as the site of some of the earliest hominid remains, northern Kenya’s Lake Turkana is set to be the site of Africa’s largest wind farm. Project plans call for a total of 365 wind turbines to be built there, generating enough clean, renewable, grid-connected electrical power to meet more than 20% of the country’s electricity needs that will be sold to national utility Kenya Power for 20 years at 7.52 euro cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh)

Morocco is looking to set up around 70 logistics hubs in 18 of its cities by 2020, as part of a long-term plan to transform the North African state’s supply chain provision.

Afrigistics, a South African based logistics management company offering a comprehensive range of transport services and supply chain solutions to, from and within Africa, today launched their AFRICA LOGISTICS NEWS PORTAL. The aim of the news portal is to provide clients, importers, exporters, traders and investors with concise, relevant and up to date news on transport and logistics related matters in Africa.

Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise (LPLE) and International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the operation of the container terminal of Tolaram Port at Lekki. ICTSI has been selected as the preferred operator for a sub-concession to equip and operate the container terminal on an exclusive basis for a 20 year period, following a Request for Proposal process. Slated for completion by 2016, this visionary project the largest of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa is promoted by the Tolaram Group in partnership with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Lagos State Government (LASG). "The Lekki container terminal will provide a quality alternative to container handling facilities in the region, dramatically improving Nigeria’s international connectivity and its supply chains."

South Africa has officially opened the multi-billion rand Port of Ngqura outside Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. The port is the deepest container terminal in sub-Saharan Africa, and will accommodate the new generation of giant container ships traversing Africa's southern tip.