DHL Group plans to invest more than €300m (£260m) in Sub-Saharan Africa, supporting goals to boost intra-African and global trade.
As part of the multi-year initiative DHL Express, DHL Global Forwarding, and DHL Supply Chain will expand infrastructure and enhance service capabilities
“Africa is at a pivotal moment in its trade journey,” said John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express.
“Despite global volatility, the continent continues to show resilience and momentum. Our investment reflects confidence in Africa’s trajectory and DHL’s commitment to enabling the trade flows that drive inclusive growth,” he added.
According to DHL’s latest ‘Global Connectedness Tracker’, Sub-Saharan Africa led all world regions in the first half of 2025 with a 10% year-on-year increase in trade value. Comparatively, trade grew 7% in North America, and by 5% in South & Central America and the Caribbean.
Current forecasts indicate the region’s trade volume will grow by an average of 4.3% per year over 2025 to 2029, the second-fastest globally behind South & Central Asia.
DHL’s investment in Africa
Investment across DHL Express in Africa will include upgrading gateways, adding aviation uplift and extending time-definite coverage into second cities that are emerging as demand centres in the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“With a dedicated air network in Sub-Saharan Africa, DHL Express will link these cities more tightly to Africa–Europe and Africa–Asia lanes,” the company said.
DHL Global Forwarding will focus on expanding its capabilities in energy and industrial projects, enhancing cold-chain and perishables logistics, and scaling its expertise in life sciences and healthcare with specialised temperature-controlled transport.
Finally, DHL Supply Chain’s investment will focus on adding capacity for the transporter sector, including additional temperature-sensitive capability to support critical healthcare flows.
Orkun Saruhanoglu, CEO, DHL Supply Chain Middle East & Africa, said: “DHL Supply Chain is expanding in South Africa as the economy gains momentum and supply chains become more sophisticated.”
“We are seeing growing demand for specialised, outsourced logistics, particularly in life sciences and healthcare and across the transporter sector. By adding capacity, strengthening transport-led solutions and applying our contract logistics expertise, we will help customers improve service quality, manage risk and scale with confidence.”
