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The port of Abidjan, one of the main ports in West Africa, has acquired a new container terminal intended to double its capacity, making it one of the major hubs in the region. “Container terminal number two (TC2) is a modern productive tool, at the forefront of port handling intended to be a real sub-regional hub”, explained, Tuesday, February 22, Madina Alliali Yankalbé, the financial manager of Côte d’Ivoire Terminal (CIT), the company that manages TC2. “We can now accommodate all the largest ships in the world”she said during a presentation to the press of the new terminal which will be officially inaugurated in November.
At a cost of 400 million euros, the construction of TC2 was financed by the autonomous port of Abidjan and a consortium made up of the French groups Bolloré Africa Logistics and Bouygues, as well as the Danish group APM Terminals (Maersk). The terminal, built on an area of 35.5 hectares, is equipped with six gantries and 36 electric tractors.
“Very good prospects”
Traffic at the port of Abidjan, the economic lung of Côte d’Ivoire providing 90% of its foreign trade, “increased in 2021 by 11.7% to reach 28.3 million tonnes”announced its general manager, Hien Sié. “The outlook is very good for 2022”he continued, stressing that traffic to countries in the region without a seafront (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger) and whose goods pass through the port of Abidjan, has also increased. “by 23% overall”.
Côte d’Ivoire mainly exports agricultural products, cocoa in the lead, but also bananas, rubber, cotton, mango, papaya, copra, cashew nuts.
Some 800,000 containers are handled each year at the port of Abidjan, which has experienced average growth of 12% per year since 2012, driven by agriculture, as well as the major infrastructure works carried out in Côte d’Ivoire.