How Houthi rockets created opportunities for lasting growth in sub-Saharan Africa
 Historically, what makes sub-Saharan Africa, the world's last continental poverty zone, has been its lack of easy waterborne and pack animal cargo transport. Whatever natives had to sell, had to be carried to market on foot.
What may well be a game changer is the Houthi rocketry that sent Suez-bound Asia-Europe shipping scurrying south around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid war risk insurance rates crossing the Red Sea.
Often ignored, sub-Saharan Africa had at last won the attention of the world's major ocean carriers and their port operators that found new opportunities for trade.
The container trade in sub-Saharan Africa is also evolving, with increasing volumes and infrastructure improvements. The market is estimated to be worth US$7.46 billion in 2025, with projections reaching $9.79 billion by 2030, growing 5.5 per cent a year.
Sub-Saharan Africa has also shown strength in global container trade, with a 10.2 per cent increase in export volumes in the first half of 2024. The Port of Mombasa, Kenya’s largest seaport, handles over 1.4 million TEU annually, serving neighbouring landlocked countries.
There were rivers, of course. The Nile is the world's longest, but of little use to sub-Saharan Africa. The next big one is the Congo, but it is plagued with unnavigable waterfalls and cataracts.
Then there was also the lack of pack animals. Horses were present in the south of the Sahara Desert itself, but they were afflicted by diseases spread by the tsetse fly. In tropical rain forest regions farther south, horses did not thrive and were of little use anyway.
In drier savannah lands to the south, oxen were introduced as draft animals by Europeans. Their use became widespread over time, particularly in the cooler more temperate south and were less affected by tropical diseases.
Sub-Saharan overseas trade, grew substantially in the 19th century from insignificance in the 17th century. It started when the Dutch set up a victualling station at the Cape of Good Hope to supply ships to-ing and fro-ing from their colony in present-day Indonesia.
These first European settlers were Dutch East Indies Company farmers, who introduced oxen and horses in the 19th century, increasing their numbers after the British took over the Cape after the defeat of Napoleon.
More recently, native Africa has been ignored except for Nigerian oil and Ivorian and Ghanaian chocolate, derived from cocoa. Overall, pan sub-Saharan Africa's petroleum exports were valued at $109 billion, gold at $17 billion, copper cathodes at $13.8 billion, natural gas (LNG) at $13 billion and bituminous coal at $12.2 billion.
But Houthi rockets, in support of Hamas insurgents, were the game-changing phenomenon unforeseen by all. As a result, there has been significant upgrades in port facilities across sub-African seaports, driven by major ocean carrier subsidiaries and independent port operators.
Moving south along the East African coast, we note that rival ports, Kenya's Mombasa and Tanzania's Dar es Salaam, have been included in MSC’s expanded Mozambique shuttle service, strengthening their connectivity with other regional ports.
From Mombasa, runs Chinese-financed Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway that now extends to Naivasha and links to Uganda. Also, the Northern Corridor highway connects Mombasa to Nairobi, Kampala (Uganda), Kigali (Rwanda) and beyond.
To the south, rival Dar es Salaam is served by the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, connecting Tanzania to Zambia. The Central Corridor Highway links Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, Mwanza, and neighbouring countries.
Mozambique's Maputo and South Africa's Port of Durban continue to play a crucial role in regional trade, with Maputo being part of MSC’s Mozambique shuttle service. As South Africa becomes increasingly unstable, citrus fruit growers have found that Maputo is a safer alternative route for their exports. Maputo is also linked by the Maputo Corridor, a major road and rail network connecting Maputo to South Africa’s industrial hub in Gauteng.
Geography has been the curse of sub-Saharan Africa, with most of it situated on a high plateau with little rich arable land that does not produce abundant crop yields. Hence, natives were slash and burn nomads, or wandering herdsman. What advanced agriculture was done, was done by European settlers.
Only in the late 19th and 20th centuries, did Europeans exploit minerals, gold, diamonds, copper and cobalt. But to exploit natural resources only recent incoming Europeans with the capital and access to world markets were able to profit from these natural resources.
To facilitate this output, there have been significant upgrades in port facilities across several African seaports, particularly driven by major ocean carrier subsidiaries and independent port operators.
Durban, South Africa's main port is connected by the North-South Corridor, including the N3 highway to Johannesburg and extensive rail links to Gauteng and other regions.
In Namibia's Walvis Bay, the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has designated the port as a strategic transshipment hub for Southern Africa. Walvis Bay is also served by the Trans-Kalahari Corridor, linking Namibia to Botswana and South Africa and the Trans-Caprivi Corridor connects Walvis Bay to Zambia.
Walvis Bay is now integrated into MSC’s North West Continent (NWC) to South Africa service, replacing South Africa’s port of Ngqura. Additionally, MSC has launched the Namibia Express, connecting Cape Town and Walvis Bay, and extended its Mozambique Shuttle to include Dar es Salaam and Mombasa.
Moving north up Africa's west coast, Angola's Luanda and the Congo's Pointe Noire has been integrated into MSC’s revised NWC-Morocco-WAF service, which connects ports across Europe, West Africa, and Southern Africa. Pointe Noire is also served by the Congo-Ocean Railway (CFCO), linking it to Brazzaville.
Douala port in Cameroon is served by the Douala-Ndjamena Corridor, connecting Cameroon to Chad via road and rail.
The Port of Lagos, which includes Apapa and Tin Can Island, remains Nigeria’s busiest port. Historically, Lagos ports handled around 1.5 million TEU annually, but congestion and competition from newer facilities like Lekki Deep-Sea Port may have reduced this to 1–1.2 million TEU.
Tema Port, Ghana’s largest seaport, was designed as an outer port for Accra. Tema Port has since undergone multiple expansions. The ongoing Tema Port Expansion Project aims to increase container throughput from 800,000 TEU to 3.7 million TEU. This expansion includes the installation of 15 gantry cranes and an increase in terminal space from 100 hectares to 127 hectares.
Port of Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire’s largest and most important maritime hub, has become a key gateway for agricultural exports, like cocoa and coffee also serving landlocked countries such as Mali and Burkina Faso. Abidjan has undergone major expansions. In 2024, it posted 15 per cent increase in annual cargo volume to 40 million tons. Abidjan aims to reach a two million TEU throughput by 2027.
Time will tell, but there are those who feel that the Houthi rockets in the Red Sea, will bring opportunity to sub-Saharan Africa at long last. |
