Mr. Jean-Yves:
In the past, our company underwent several changes of name. The latest one occurred approximately three years ago, following the acquisition by MSC, after which the company was renamed Africa Global Logistics (AGL).
As a result, our presence in Angola dates back roughly three decades. In fact, 1996 marks the year when the former group took over SDV AMI in Angola, which is why AGL Angola is recognized today as a long-standing and deeply rooted company in the country.
Interestingly, the first headquarters of the company in Angola was in Lobito. It later moved to Luanda in the late 1990s. This historical connection gives particular significance to our renewed focus on the Lobito Corridor today.
AGL Angola is therefore a company with a long-established presence and strong local anchorage. While I have personally been serving as Managing Director since mid-2022, my role builds on a long history of continuous development. My priority has been to ensure that the company keeps growing while remaining aligned with its strong legacy.
Today, compared with the past, our core focus is logistics. AGL is a diversified group active across logistics corridors, ports, and freight forwarding. In Angola specifically, we concentrate on logistics activities in Luanda, Cabinda, Soyo, Lobito, and Namibe.
Our operations include international freight forwarding, customs clearance, logistics bases, warehouses, shipping agency and trucking activities. To support this growth, we have recently invested in 11 new trucks and 8 more will be added in the coming months.
Since my arrival nearly three years ago, the number of employees has almost doubled, reflecting both business expansion and our long-term commitment to local employment.
Our footprint expanded significantly with the concession of the Lobito Terminal.
The concession agreement was signed in late December 2023, and operations officially started in March 2024.
To manage this strategic asset, we created AGL Lobito Terminal (ALT), a company that is 100% owned by AGL.
This represents a major investment of approximately USD 200 million over a 20-year concession period. The project is a cornerstone for Angola’s integration into global value chains, particularly through the Lobito Corridor.
Our ambition is clear: to strengthen our presence, support the development of Angola’s logistics sector, and contribute sustainably to the country’s economic growth.
Mr. Jean-Yves:
Our company operates and manages a broad range of sites, including warehousing infrastructure, open yard space, and operational facilities, which form the backbone of our logistics activities in Angola.
For AGL Lobito Terminal, we made an initial investment of approximately USD 80 million to secure access to the concession. In addition, we plan to invest a further USD 120 million over the 20-year concession period, with most of this investment concentrated in the early years to rapidly upgrade and modernize the terminal.
Beyond infrastructure, we strongly believe that people are a key driver of sustainable growth. As such, we are investing around USD 4 million in training and professional development during the initial years of the project, focusing on skills development, technical expertise, and operational excellence.
On the logistics side, we have approximately USD 5 million of investments planned for this year alone. Around 30% of this budget is allocated to equipment, including trucks, forklifts, and cranes, while the remaining portion will be dedicated to the development and improvement of logistics facilities.
In parallel, we are rehabilitating our existing logistics base and developing a new 10-hectare logistics facility in Panguila, specifically designed to support oil and gas logistics operations. This project represents an additional USD 3 million investment and further strengthens our service offering in a strategic sector for Angola.
Mr. Jean-Yves:
At AGL Angola, investing in human capital is a strategic priority, and we follow international standards in this area. One of our key strengths is being part of a global logistics group, which allows us to benefit from knowledge sharing, mobility, and best practices across countries.
We actively promote international expertise exchange. For example, teams from Abidjan, where AGL operates a port, have travelled to Lobito to train and support our local teams during the launch of terminal operations. This hands-on collaboration ensures skills transfer and accelerates the development of local expertise.
In parallel, we send Angolan employees abroad for training, notably to France, Ivory Coast, and South Africa. These international training programs expose our staff to advanced operational standards, new technologies, and diverse working environments, strengthening both technical and managerial capabilities.
Beyond training, we place strong emphasis on employee wellbeing and social protection. When I arrived, family health insurance was not in place. In 2023, I made the decision to extend health insurance coverage to employees’ families, typically covering three to four family members, with a progressive plan to include all minors. This was an important step toward improving social security and quality of life for our people.
We also provide additional medical services for our employees, including eye examinations and prescription glasses, as part of our preventive healthcare approach.
In summary, AGL Angola’s investment in human capital combines skills development, international exposure, and employee wellbeing. Our ambition is to build strong, competent, and committed local teams that can support the long-term growth of the company and contribute meaningfully to Angola’s logistics sector.
Mr. Jean- Yves:
Innovation and digitalization are increasingly central to the way AGL Angola operates. Our objective is to enhance transparency, efficiency, safety, and service quality for our clients while aligning with global logistics standards.
A concrete example is our AGL LIVE tool, our real-time cargo tracking solution. This tool is already being used by several clients. We implemented it at the end of last year, and it has proven to be a real game changer. Through AGL Live, clients can track their goods instantly and continuously, which is essential in modern logistics. Today, information is as critical as physical delivery—clients need to know at all times where their cargo is, what its status is, and when it will arrive.
Operationally, we also place strong emphasis on performance and safety. Our processes are designed to comply strictly with HSE standards while ensuring that key performance indicators (KPIs) are met. Typically, our delivery timelines range between three to five days, depending on the corridor and type of operation.
Looking ahead, we are fully aware that AI, IoT solutions, automation, and smart warehousing are shaping the future of logistics worldwide. As part of a global group, AGL Angola is actively following—and progressively adopting—these innovations in line with operational needs and market maturity. This approach allows us to modernize responsibly, improve productivity, and offer increasingly reliable and competitive services to our customers.
In summary, innovation at AGL Angola is not just about technology, but about using the right tools to improve visibility, decision-making, operational excellence, and customer satisfaction.
Mr. Jean-Yves:
Our main and most strategic investment in Angola is the Lobito Terminal concession, which is at the heart of our long-term vision for the country’s logistics ecosystem. This terminal plays a critical role in supporting the Lobito Corridor, a key regional trade route connecting Angola to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kolwezi, and major mining regions in Central and Southern Africa.
Through the Lobito Terminal, we are directly enabling mineral exports, particularly copper, which is stuffed into containers at our terminal and shipped mainly through MSC. Recently, copper volumes have reached approximately 15,000 tons per month, demonstrating the corridor’s growing importance and competitiveness.
Compared to Luanda, Lobito is structurally more export-oriented, which creates a strong demand for empty containers to support outbound flows. In addition to copper, the terminal is designed to support:
This investment represents a 20-year concession, reflecting a firm and long-term commitment. It clearly signals that AGL is here to stay and intends to play a durable role in Angola’s economic development and integration into global value chains.
Beyond the Lobito Terminal, we are also actively exploring additional growth opportunities that can further strengthen Angola’s logistics infrastructure, including:
Overall, our ambition is to act as a long-term partner of Angola, working closely with the Ministry of Transport and other public stakeholders. Through these investments, we aim to improve connectivity, support exports, attract regional transit flows, and contribute to the sustainable transformation of Angola’s logistics ecosystem.
Mr. Jean- Yves:
Our future expansion priorities are strongly aligned with Angola’s long-term logistics ambitions and with our role as a strategic partner in the country.
First, our focus remains the development of the Lobito Corridor, which is a cornerstone for regional integration and for connecting Angola to inland markets, particularly in Central Africa. Strengthening this corridor will further support export flows, mining logistics, and Angola’s position within regional and global supply chains.
Second, we are working on the development of logistics platforms, notably in Luau and other strategic inland locations. These platforms are essential for improving multimodal connectivity, facilitating transit cargo, and supporting both import and export activities along the corridor.
In parallel, we are actively exploring potential partnerships and new concessions, particularly in areas related to logistics infrastructure and transport. These opportunities are assessed in close coordination with public authorities and institutional partners to ensure alignment with national priorities.
All future investments will continue to be made based on feasibility, sustainability, and long-term impact. Our approach is pragmatic and disciplined, ensuring that each project reinforces operational efficiency, service quality, and economic value for Angola.
Through these strategic priorities, our ambition is clear: to strengthen AGL Angola’s position as a key logistics player and a long-term partner contributing to the development, modernization, and competitiveness of Angola’s logistics ecosystem.
Mr. Jean-Yves:
ESG is an increasingly important pillar of AGL Angola’s strategy, and we are progressively strengthening our commitments across environmental responsibility, social impact, and community engagement, particularly as our footprint continues to grow.
From an environmental perspective, we are rolling out “green terminal” initiatives, especially at the Lobito Terminal, even though the terminal is still recent. Our focus is on reducing our carbon footprint, improving energy efficiency, and increasing electrification of equipment and operations wherever feasible. These actions are part of a longer-term roadmap aligned with group-wide environmental standards.
On the community and social side, we are actively engaged at the local level. In Lobito, we support surrounding communities through the distribution of goods and basic support initiatives, particularly in areas close to our operations. We also develop partnership-based social projects, including collaboration with Don Bosco and support to an orphanage in Luanda.
In addition, our teams are involved in local clean-up initiatives around our operational bases, focusing on waste management, container organization, and improving the immediate environment in coordination with communities. These actions help reinforce good environmental practices while strengthening our local relationships.
We also emphasize employee engagement in ESG actions. For example, we have community activities planned on May 1st, involving both our employees and local residents. These initiatives aim to foster solidarity, shared responsibility, and closer ties between AGL and the communities in which we operate.
Mr. Jean -Yves:
I have around 15 years of experience in transport and logistics, having joined the Bolloré Group around 2011–2012. Throughout my career, I have worked across different geographies and operational environments, which has reinforced my conviction that logistics is a strategic enabler of economic development, particularly in Africa.
Transport and logistics are essential for the continent. There is huge and growing demand, while infrastructure, connectivity, and regional integration are still under development. Africa’s low level of internal trade integration remains a major challenge, but also a major opportunity. My personal objective has always been to contribute to addressing this gap and to make a tangible difference through logistics development.
In Angola specifically, my ambition is to leave behind a strong and sustainable legacy. This includes:
Beyond infrastructure and performance, what truly matters to me is ensuring that AGL continues to grow responsibly, creates value locally, and contributes meaningfully to Angola’s economic development and its people. My role is part of a longer-term journey—building on the past, strengthening the present, and helping position AGL Angola for sustained success in the future.
