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Ignore Africa at your peril, DHL experts say

[ October 16, 2026   //   ]

Africa will be the growth story for the coming decade, two DHL executives told an online webinar on 16 October. DHL Express UK chief executive John Cornish and his counterpart in South Africa, Hennie Heymans said that the continent had recorded the fastest trade growth of any region in 2025 and that with rising disposable incomes, investment in infrastructure and development of industries such as mining and capacity to refine raw material, this was set to continue and even accelerate in years to come.

John Cornish said that too few companies considered Africa when searching for overseas markets but this was a mistake. “It’s too easy for UK firms to consider it a small market and to focus on Europe or the Americas, but there are huge ties with African countries. By 2035 it will most certainly be a growth engine and you ignore these countries at your peril. It may be relatively small now, but you have to look for growth markets.”

They said that while it might take a little longer to achieve a return on capital in African markets, the rewards were likely to be much higher than in more mature regions.

DHL’s transit times to and from Africa currently average just under four days but to key countries such as South Africa and Nigeria, it can be 2-2 ½ days depending on the goods. New markets were also emerging in technology and life sciences. John Cornish added that trade prospects had recently been boosted  by the UK’s updated Developing Countries Trading Scheme which would make exporting simpler for many African countries. However, he said, UK firms needed to be mindful of the speed with which other countries, especially China had set up in Africa. Other countries were also keen to do business there, added Hennie Heymans. At recent mission to the Philippines, almost every company approached had been enthusiastic, he said.

Customs, read tape and infrastructure remain issues, though the DHL executives noted that airports are being built in countries such as Ethiopia and Rwanda with better road links and 24-hour customs posts, DHL has been able to switch some of its intra-Africa routes from air to road.

DHL was also upgrading its operations in Africa, they added, saying: “We wouldn’t be investing $250 million if we didn’t believe in the future of this continent.”

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