Logistics industry stakeholders root for modernised warehousing solutions

Nairobi. The World Bank’s Logistics Performance Survey of 2018, ranked Tanzania at 67 globally, a point behind Ivory Coast, which was ranked position 66 in the process highlighting the challenges in the logistics supply chain.

The index further placed South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda and Ivory Coast as the top 4 best-performing countries in Africa, while Somalia, Sierra Leone, Eritrea, and Zimbabwe took the bottom four positions.

In the wake of this,today September 23, in Nairobi,  Africa Logistics Properties (ALP), a  modern warehousing solutions company hosted a supply chain networking event to celebrate its second anniversary since the completion of  ALP North at Tatu City’s Industrial Park.

Speaking at the event, Africa Logistics Properties CEO Richard Hough said since setting up operations in Kenya, they have noticed various challenges in East Africa’s Supply Chain ecosystem.

“We are delighted to have our first supply chain breakfast event as a way of creating dialogue to solve some of the key challenges many business’s experience within the Supply Chain ecosystem as well as align key international best practices that are relevant and can be applicable to the East African Region,” said Mr Hough

He further added, “With ALP logistics centres we are able to provide a key part of the solution and improve distribution in East Africa by streamlining the supply chain and logistics processes. Through eliminating shipping and transportation challenges, establishing better ways of storing goods and the effective use of technology.”

Africa Logistics Properties’s flagship project 'ALP Nairobi North’ is Kenya’s first international standard grade-A logistics and distribution centre. The project consists of 47,000sqm of grade-A international standard warehousing on a 22-acre site.

The first two phases of the ALP North park are over 82 per cent leased and the third final phase of 19,600sqm was delivered in May 2019.  

 ALP Nairobi North was in 2018 named the  Best Industrial Project in Africa award at the Africa Property Awards and also achieved the World Bank’s EDGE building sustainability certification becoming  the first industrial warehousing complex to achieve such a benchmark in Africa.  

In addition to ALP Nairobi North, ALP has also commenced construction of its second logistics and industrial project called ALP Nairobi West on a 49-acre site in Western Nairobi. 

According to Mr Hough, ALP’s strategy is to identify demand-led investment opportunities within Africa that will generate strong returns for its shareholders through the development of industrial real estate projects whilst improving logistics and infrastructure in the markets in which they operate.

This he says is a strategy that saw the company win Best Industrial and Logistics Development in 2018 at the Africa Property Investment Awards held in South Africa. 

ALP which was started  by Toby Selman in 2016 to address the lack of modern warehousing and distribution centres across Africa, is a specialist integrated property investment company that develops, acquires and owns class-A industrial and logistics properties in principal cities across Africa.