Lomé Container Terminal sets new record

Logistics

Monday, 13 December 2021 11:24

(Togo First) - Over the past 11 months, the Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) handled one million containers or 1,450,000 TEU. The figure, disclosed last Tuesday, is a new record for the platform which was launched in 2014. Also, it makes the Togolese port the top port of the Gulf of Guinea, in terms of transhipping.

The LCT also drove Lomé among the top 100 ports worldwide, regarding container traffic. In 2020, the Terminal, which was yielded by a JV between China Merchant and Terminal Investment Limited (TIL), handled 1,366,114 TEU, up by 20% compared to 2019, despite Covid-19 hampering economic activity worldwide.

Since its commissioning (which necessitated the financial support of several major actors, such as IFC and Proparco), the volume of containers handled by the Lomé Container Terminal grew nearly 40 times (3,952%).

For the port operator, which receives an average of forty ships per month, "one of the pillars of this growth is the contribution of its main client, which is none other than MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, which has made the Port of Lomé its preferred destination to serve Africa.” The world's second-largest shipowner said it plans to invest more than $30 million in the port by 2020 and $500 million by 2030.

Overall, the Port of Lomé - which has gradually become, since the launch of LCT, the port of reference for transshipment in the sub-region with over 70% of containers handled being transshipped- continues to distance itself from its main competitors, in this segment.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

REFORMS OVERVIEW

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At the fifteenth position, worldwide, and first in Africa, under the Starting a Business index of the 2020 Doing Business ranking, Togo sustains its reformative dynamics with more reforms….

ENFORCING CONTRACTS (more info)

Compared to some years ago when it was one of the lowest rankers under the Doing Business’ Enforcing Contracts indicator, Togo, leveraging many efforts to improve its business climate, was able to jump significantly on the index in the recent years... .

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Creation of special chambers of commerce for small debts • Creation of chambers of commerce at the Court of Appeal • Civil and commercial cases now handled by distinct clerks • Establishment of commercial courts in Lomé and Kara • Lawyers and bailiffs now have access to the FORSETI COMMERCIAL platform • A maximum period of 100 days was fixed to settle a commercial dispute .

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In comparison to previous years, Togo has significantly improved its ranking on the “Trading across borders” index by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitalization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

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