Award comes as DHL continues to ramp up investment in new, higher-volume African air freight connections to the rest of the world

JOHANNESBURG, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — DHL Global Forwarding, the leading international provider of air, sea and road freight services, has been voted Africa’s International Freight Forwarder of the Year for the fourth time by readers of STAT Times, a leading international air freight publication. DHL was presented the International Award for Excellence in Air Cargo at a STAT Times ceremony on 22 February in Johannesburg.

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“It’s an honor and privilege to be once again recognized as Africa’s top air cargo provider by the businesses who rely on our services to expand their international sales and market share,” said Claudio Scandella, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Middle East and Africa. “Having provided world-class freight services in Africa for the past 35 years, DHL has witnessed first-hand the continent’s rapid economic growth and development. As African businesses continue to tap into their full potential, we remain committed to supporting them with timely, agile, and cost-effective global freight connections that place them in the thick of global market opportunities.”

2016 saw DHL deploy a range of new services to manage rising air cargo demand from Africa’s high-growth industries such as consumer electronics and mining, often with support from the company’s equally extensive portfolio of ocean freight services.

“International African air freight traffic grew as much as 3.8% year-on-year in 2016[1],” added Scandella. “To continue on their current growth trajectory, African enterprises will need rapid, reliable air cargo services that substantially boost their connectivity to the rest of the world.”

The latest DHL Global Connectedness Index, which measures the flows of international trade, capital, information, and people between different countries, found that African nations remain some of the least-connected in the world, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa[2]. DHL has invested steadily in infrastructure to boost Africa’s trade connectivity in recent years, including the construction of a EUR16 million freight hub of 17,500 sqm in South Africa in 2015.

“Greater international connectivity means increased access to consumers and capital — the two essential ingredients for sustained business growth,” said Scandella. “We remain committed to increasing the frequency, variety, and investment of air freight routes between Africa and the rest of the world, giving local enterprises the platform they need to compete with and even leap-frog their overseas competitors.”

DHL – The logistics company for the world

DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL family of divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 340,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, energy, automotive and retail, a proven commitment to corporate responsibility and an unrivalled presence in developing markets, DHL is decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world”.

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 59 billion euros in 2015.