Economy : Vincent Bolloré about to sell his African logistics empire to MSC

Present in more than twenty African countries through a network of sixteen port concessions, warehouses , road and rail hubs, Bolloré Africa logistics is on sale on the international market. The French group Bolloré, has established itself as one of the giants in its field through its logistics activities on the African continent. However, soon, this branch could be bought by another company; MSC of the Italian-Swiss Gianluigi Aponte.

Bolloré, this name is present everywhere in Africa. Before being attached to a company, it is first of all a patronymic that Vincent inherited. Indeed, the Bolloré Group is a French multinational specialized in transport, logistics and communication.

Who is Bolloré in Africa?

In Africa,whether in the port, rail or agricultural sectors, the Bolloré Group is a major player.

In the railway sector, it operates three railway concessions: Sitarail (Côte d’Ivoire-Burkina-Faso) which links the two countries. Camrail (Cameroon) and Benirail (Benin).

His activities in the port sector also talked about him. Thus, from storage to transportation of goods, Bolloré Africa Logistics is a key player in West Africa. It manages the container terminals of 10 ports in the region, from Conakry, Guinea, to Pointe-Noire, Congo. It also operates 16 container terminals on the continent through public-private partnerships.

Bolloré is also active in the agricultural sector, where the group owns 38.8% of the Luxembourg holding company Socfin. The company manages approximately 187,000 hectares of plantations, mainly in oil palm and rubber trees, in Africa and Asia.

Generating €2.1 billion in revenues by 2020, the Bolloré Group employs more than 20,000 people and has nearly 250 branches in 46 countries.

However, Vincent Bolloré announced last October in a press release that he wanted to sell his logistics empire in Africa. This is just a refocusing of its activities. Since, in addition to all the above-mentioned activities, Vincent Bolloré is also present in the media. The leading telephone cable operator in French-speaking Africa, he is the Director of Canal+. Vincent Bolloré is only changing his strategy and therefore remains ineluctably present on the continent through communication. The MSC, (candidate for the purchase of the African empire of Bolloré) wants to get its hands on an important network of infrastructure throughout the continent and thus consolidate its place as world leader in the maritime sector.