Economy
Integration of Ports in Africa’s Wider Logistic Chains Remains Uneven—PwC
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A new report by PwC titled ‘Strengthening Africa’s gateways to trade’ has suggested that the continent can strengthen its trades by putting in place more strategic investment in its ports, which will in turn accelerate growth and development.
It also said Africa must take advantage of the economic potential of its ports and shipping sector because globally, ports are gateways for 80 percent of merchandise trade by volume and 70 percent by value.
The report said investment in ports and their related transport infrastructure to advance trade and promote overall economic development and growth is vital – particularly in emerging economies that are currently under-served by modern transportation facilities.
However, port investment must be channelled appropriately to ensure financial sustainability and economic growth. Investment is not always about building new ports or terminals – investment spent on infrastructure without cognisance of the efficiency and effectiveness of the performance of the port may not produce the desired results. Port performance must be seen in the context of not only port infrastructure shortfalls, but also the fact that port performance has a direct impact on the efficiency and reliability of the entire transport network in which the port is just a node for the transfer of goods, PwC noted.
‘Strengthening Africa’s gateways to trade’ was developed in response to the challenges facing SAA’s ports in attracting external investment and highlighting the regional economic and growth benefits thereof.
Why ports matter
As an emerging market region endowed with vast resources and a growing population, SSA must accelerate its market access and trade across the region and with the rest of the world. PwC analysis shows that a 25% improvement in port performance could increase GDP by 2%, demonstrating the close relationship between port effectiveness and trade competitiveness. With growing congestion in many African ports, Africa runs the risk of sacrificing further growth through lack of investment in port terminal infrastructure. Access to effective ports, interconnecting infrastructure and efficient operations to cope with current demand and future growth, will lead to reduced costs and improved overall freight logistics efficiency and reliability – all of which are fundamental to the region’s future success.
Despite the high volumes of goods that require transport, the development and integration of ports in Africa’s wider logistic chains remains uneven. Some ports are important generators of benefit and serve large hinterland areas, often extending beyond national borders. Others lag in terms of available facilities, reliability and efficiency in the handling of freight, which increase supply-chain costs. The disparities in performance between different ports impacts on Africa transport logistic chains, and makes African countries less competitive than they could be.
Dr. Andrew Shaw, PwC Africa Transport and Logistics Leader, says: “Ports are a vital part of the supply chain in Africa, with many ports having a far-reaching hinterland often spanning a number of countries, which makes them a natural focus for regional development.”
“In this report we show that the global transportation and logistics industry can no longer afford to ignore developments in Africa. Logistics service providers and ports in particular will continue to play a key facilitator role in trade competitiveness and thus facilitate trade and sustained economic growth across the region. Trade competitiveness requires governments and key stakeholders to see ports as facilitators of trade and integrators in the logistics supply chain. Efficient ports can make countries and regions more competitive and thus improve their growth prospects. The reliability and efficiency of each port terminal, including minimising delay to shippers, is critical to enhancing future trade facilitation.”
Kuria Muchiru, Partner, Government & Public Sector PwC Kenya, adds: “Efficient port operations in Mombasa and Dar es Salaam are critical to increased throughput and evacuation of cargo. Investments in rail are seen as a major step towards contributing to improved performance. Developments in multimodal operations and master planning of the ports to keep up to date with increasing throughput, which in turn fuels economic growth are critical to efficiency. In the long run East Africa is expected to a be a major transhipment hub on the East Coast of Africa, which will reduce freight costs in addition to contributing to the Belt and Road. ”
Ian Arufor, Partner PwC Nigeria, comments: “International trade is a primary vehicle for the international movement of capital to developing nations, which ultimately drives economic development.”
“As the larger West African economies embark upon, or seek to accelerate, the implementation of their economic development drives, new and / or expanded port access and capabilities are increasingly recognised as key tenets of these programs. This is exemplified by the number of active port development and expansion projects in Nigeria and Ghana.”
The case for shifting focus
Historically, many governments have focused on the revenues that can be extracted from ports as opposed to recognising them as facilitators of trade and growth. Africa needs to shift its understanding of the role ports can play and step up investment in them to achieve its economic development goals. In particular, there should be more awareness of the greater economic benefits that effective and efficient ports can play.
In SSA, the business case for port expansion is often only defined once capacity is already constrained and thus many ports operate under severe pressure while investment decisions are being made. This continual lag, which often lasts years, reduces competiveness and takes no account of the resulting reduced trade impact on African economies. In contrast, China’s approach to port investment is instructive. China considers port investments on the benefits it receives from trade and thus regards ports as highly strategic investments in the national interest.
High port logistics costs, poor reliability and low economies of scale in trade volumes have a negative impact on trade growth in Africa. According to PwC estimates, US$2.2 billion per annum could be saved in logistics costs if the average throughput at the major ports in SSA doubled. In other parts of the world, such a focus on volume and efficiency has led to a stronger emphasis on hub and feeder ports for containers and enhancing scale for commodity bulk terminals.
Although individual countries in Africa have tended to push for developing their own hub ports (ports with the greatest volume potential), it is likely that we will see some ports eventually emerge as major hubs. PwC’s analysis shows that, based on the degree of shipping liner connectivity, amount of trade passing through a port, and the size of the hinterland, Durban (South Africa), Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) and Mombasa (Kenya) are most likely to emerge as the major hubs in Southern Africa, West Africa and East Africa, respectively.
It is notable that SSA merchandise trade has increased by about 300% over the past 30 years, yet the region contributed less than 1% to the value of world trade growth during this period. The value of SSA exports has declined since the end of the resources boom, while imports have continued to grow. As demand for commodities begins to increase once more, we expect to see prices and volumes will rise again.
The fact that most African countries have an imbalance in trade focused on commodity exports and manufactured imports pose major cost challenges. SSA imports are predominated by containerised cargo, while exports are mostly handled as bulk freight. This trade imbalance between imports and exports means that many containers return empty, thereby absorbing valuable port capacity and resulting in higher logistics costs for inbound traffic to offset the cost of an empty return leg. Improving Africa’s trade potential to export manufactured, semi-processed or agricultural goods would significantly improve the imbalance in containerised trade. This rebalancing of containerised trade offers a unique opportunity for African countries to beneficiate and expand trade in higher-value exports.
Most SSA ports are public sector owned and managed, which makes the raising of capital in a constrained economic environment difficult. Governments’ role in the port sector also affects investment returns because of the manner in which they regulate and operate ports.
Greater clarity and transparency about government involvement and regulation of port activity is important. Almost all investors we spoke to during our research highlighted governance as the main risk consideration in their investment decision to support increased port investment. This is in an environment in which 67% of port terminal operators interviewed in southern Africa felt that they needed to expand their port facilities.
Performance of ports in SSA
A range of physical, organisational, technological and institutional elements play a role in determining port capacity and efficiency. PwC has developed a Port Performance Analysis (PPA) that tests the performance of SSA ports against international norms and practices. Using the PPA assessment tool, notwithstanding the fact that each region and port has its own specific challenges, it is possible to draw the following conclusions about SSA ports:
There is a lag in investment in port infrastructure, which tends to perpetuate bottlenecks at key African ports. The investment lag is largely driven by reluctance to invest ahead of demand and when investment decisions are made, it frequently takes a number of years before new equipment is supplied or infrastructure constructed.
African ports tend to operate at higher densities than their global counterparts due to land constraints.
Terminal capacity utilisation is often constrained by vessel sizes, vessel utilisation and call frequency.
Road network around ports are often not sufficient to sustain port volumes.
Many of the handling inefficiencies and long container dwell times are not the result of port infrastructure shortfalls at all. Rather, they are a consequence of poor port management, customs and associated container clearing processes, as well as inadequate landside connections which prevent containers leaving ports without delay.
Future drivers of investment
The report assesses current investment in SSA’s ports and reveals a number of trends:
Ownership and service models are gravitating towards greater private-sector involvement;
Increasing competition between ports is driving investment decisions;
Shipping lines and port operators are increasingly driving port investment;
Externally-funded commodities and consumer goods are driving investment;
Appetite for large greenfield investment is waning;
Focus on intermodal facilities and dry ports is increasing; and
Greater awareness of infrastructure interdependencies.
Shaw comments: “SSA ports are under increasing pressure to respond to the needs of shipping lines, logistic providers and multinational traders, as they seek to drive efficiencies throughout the value chain. There remains a strong case for SSA to focus on investment in ports. Developing port infrastructure ahead of demand, focusing on the ports with the greatest potential (the ‘hub’ ports of the future) and improving the overall functioning of these ports so that through productivity gains they are increasingly attractive as destinations for global trade are key imperatives.”
Economy
Trump Earned over $1 billion Through Cryptocurrency; How Can an Ordinary Investor Earn $17,700?
Trump publicly criticized Bitcoin in 2021 but rapidly shifted his stance during the campaign, proposing to make the United States the “global cryptocurrency capital.”
After returning to the White House, he signed an executive order supporting the development of the digital asset industry. Meanwhile, reports indicate that Trump and his associated businesses have generated over $1 billion in gains through cryptocurrency.
As we enter 2026, cloud mining is emerging as a new area of interest amidst the continued development of computing infrastructure and digital asset markets. For the average investor, the question arises: how can one generate $17,700 in passive income—or even more—despite constant market volatility?
Cloud mining： represented by platforms like SHRMiner, is rapidly gaining market attention. By providing rentable computing power services and earning mining rewards, it allows users to access the complete cloud mining process and earn passive BTC income without purchasing expensive equipment or specialized skills.
Recently, SHRMiner, a UK-based cloud mining platform, officially launched a new “free cloud mining service.” This service is designed for holders of mainstream cryptocurrencies such as BTC, XRP, DOGE, LTC, and EHT, providing users with a new opportunity to participate in cryptocurrency mining without any entry barriers.
How to earn passive income from BTC through SHEMiner cloud mining
Start earning returns in just three simple steps:
- Register an account
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- Select a cloud mining plan
Choose a cloud mining plan that suits your needs and budget. The platform offers flexible plans ranging from $100 to $200,000 to meet the investment goals of different users.
- Start earning returns
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The primary advantage of this model is that it significantly lowers the barrier to entry. Users do not need to research specific mining hardware models or hashrate configurations, nor do they need to set up their own system environments; simply by registering an account, depositing assets, and selecting a mining plan, they can start earning returns.
SHRMiner Platform Advantages:
- Supports daily automatic settlement
- No additional electricity or maintenance costs required
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- Supports mining for multiple currencies: earn mainstream cryptocurrencies such as BTC, XRP, ETH, DOGE, USDC, USDT, SOL, LTC, and BCH.
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Examples of common contracts:
| Contract Name | Price | Profit | Days | Principal + Total Return |
| New User Experience Agreement | $100 | $4 | 2 | $100+$8 |
| Bitdeer Sealminer A2 Pro | $500 | $6.25 | 5 | $500.00 + $31.25 |
| Litecoin Miner L9 | $1000.00 | $13.00 | 10 | $1000.00 + $130 |
| Bitcoin Miner S21 XP Imm | $5000.00 | $70.00 | 25 | $5000.00 + $1750 |
| Bitcoin Miner S21e XP Hyd | $10000.00 | $150.00 | 35 | $10000.00 + $5250 |
| ANTSPACE HW5 | $50000.00 | $900.00 | 45 | $50000.00 + $40500 |
After purchasing a contract, earnings will be automatically credited to your account within 24 hours. Upon contract expiration, your principal will be returned in full. You may withdraw the principal or reinvest it to benefit from compound returns; please click here for more details regarding the mining contract.
Unimaginable money-making opportunities
What sets SHRMiner apart is its extraordinary daily passive income; users have the opportunity to earn $10,700 or even more each day, turning the dream of online wealth into reality. Imagine generating substantial income without the need for ongoing investment or complex setups—that is exactly what SHRMiner offers.
Safety and Sustainability
In the mining sector, trust and security are paramount; SHRMiner fully recognizes this and prioritizes user safety above all else. Committed to transparency and legitimacy, SHRMiner ensures your investment is protected, allowing you to focus on profitability. All mining facilities utilize clean energy, making this a carbon-conscious cloud mining operation. Renewable energy protects the environment from pollution while providing a powerful energy source.
In short
If you are looking for ways to generate passive income, cloud mining is an excellent choice. When approached correctly, these opportunities allow you to effortlessly build cryptocurrency wealth on “autopilot” with minimal time investment. At the very least, they are far less time-consuming than any form of active trading. Passive income is the ultimate goal for every investor and trader, and with SHRMiner, maximizing your passive income potential is easier than ever.
To learn more about SHRMiner, please visit the official website: https://shrminer.com
Complete List Of The Top Crypto Platforms in Nigeria: Where to Trade Safely
As a Nigerian just getting started in crypto trading, or someone trying to rebuild their confidence after a bad trading experience, the fear of losing your hard-earned money is valid. This is why choosing a reliable crypto platform to carry out your trading is very important.
The good news here is that there are several trusted crypto platforms built to serve Nigerian traders, offering secure trading, fast withdrawals, and competitive fees.
In this guide, you will discover the top crypto platforms in Nigeria, what makes each one stand out, and how to choose the best option based on your trading goals.
Top 4 crypto platforms in Nigeria
NOSH
Nosh is one of the top platforms in Nigeria and Ghana with the best crypto trading services, offering the best rates for crypto trading, allowing you to get good value for your digital assets. With its user-friendly interface and 24/7 customer support, it is a very good option whether you are a new or experienced crypto trader.
With Nosh, you get:
- Instant payouts on every transaction, no unnecessary waiting.
- Advanced fraud protection with two-factor authentication to keep your account and transactions secure.
- Easy and direct conversion of crypto to Naira or Cedis within a few minutes; no need for third-party apps whenever you are ready to cash out.
- High exchange rates.
- Transparent rates with a rate calculator to know how much you will be getting.
Nosh supports a variety of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Dogecoin, USDC, USDT, Ethereum, Tron, Litecoin, and Binance Coin.
KUCOIN
KuCoin is another popular crypto platform known for its P2P (peer-to-peer) marketplace. With KuCoin, you can trade your crypto directly with a buyer or sell your crypto directly with a seller. KuCoin holds the crypto in escrow until the seller accepts that they have received the payment; this is done to avoid fraud from the buyer or seller of the crypto.
With KuCoin, you get:
- To carry out P2P trading with escrow protection.
- To use multiple payment method options like bank transfer, USSD, and mobile-money-linked options.
- Offers competitive and relatively low trading fees, especially if you’re holding KCS (KuCoin’s native token).
- Gives you access to spot trading, futures/derivatives, staking, and other earn products
KuCoin supports stablecoins such as USDT, USDC, and TUSD.
COINCOLA
Coincola is also a top platform ranked as one of the best P2P trading platforms for Nigerians. With Coincola, you get to buy and sell your Bitcoin and USDT with real-time price tracking. Coincola is your go-to platform if you need one that offers flexible funding options like cash deposit and bank transfers. However, there have been reports of withdrawal delays.
With Coincola, you get;
- A P2P marketplace to buy/sell Bitcoin and other coins directly from vendors, with their completed-trade counts shown upfront so u can trade with caution.
- Instant BTC conversion with real-time price tracking
- To use multiple local funding options like bank transfer, cash deposit, and gift cards
- An escrow system that holds your money until a trade is confirmed.
Coincola supports cryptocurrencies like USDT and TRON.
YELLOWCARD
Yellowcard is another popular crypto platform that offers not only P2P trading but also allows you to buy and sell assets like USDT, USDC, PYUSD, BTC, and ETH with regional payment options like mobile money, bank transfers, and cash deposit. However, in 2025 they announced they no longer offer crypto-to-cash retail services.
With Yellowcard, you get:
- Direct access to buy and sell crypto rather than waiting to match with individual P2P counterparties.
- To use multiple funding methods like bank transfer, mobile money, and cash deposits.
- Free local and cross-border transfers via “Yellow Pay” to 20 different countries in Africa.
Factors to consider when choosing a crypto platform
- Don’t just look at the advertised trading fee. Some platforms hide the extra cost, so your actual rate ends up higher than expected. Do a small test trade first and see what you actually receive.
- The best platform in the world is useless to you if it doesn’t support how you actually move money, whether it’s bank transfer or mobile money. Check that before you even sign up, not after.
- Some platforms convert instantly; others, especially P2P ones, need you to wait for a counterparty to show up. If you need your money fast, that difference matters a lot.
- If you specifically need USDC or another less-common stablecoin, don’t assume it’s there on the platform. Double-check the coin list before you commit to one.
- Support should not be silent when something goes wrong. Look for evidence people actually got helped, not just a “24/7 support” badge.
- If a platform can’t tell you clearly how they protect your money, that’s a red flag on its own. Always go for one that prioritizes security.
FAQs
- Which crypto platform is best in Nigeria?
The best crypto platform in Nigeria is Nosh. Nosh offers the best rates for selling crypto with direct crypto-to-naira conversion to easily change your crypto to cash when needed.
- Can I teach myself crypto trading?
Yes, you can. There are many platforms and tutors with tutorial videos and lessons on how to start crypto trading on your own.
- What is the most popular crypto in Nigeria?
The most traded cryptocurrency in Nigeria is Bitcoin, making it the most popular.
Conclusion
When you trust the right platform, your journey in crypto trading is safe and secure. Always look out for crypto trading platforms that meet your needs alongside keeping things like payment options, a good list of coins they support, and other factors mentioned in this article before committing to one.
Always start with a small test trade first to see what you are getting; it will help you get a better idea of how the platform works so you don’t fall victim to hidden charges not included in price tags by some platforms.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Okitipupa Plc was the sole price gainer at the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange on Friday, August 7, lifting the trading platform by 0.44 per cent at the close of transactions.
The share price of the palm oil producer appreciated during the trading session by N25.00 or 9.0 per cent to N277.00 per unit compared with the previous day’s N252.00 per unit.
As a result, the market capitalisation gained N12.29 billion to close at N2,807 trillion, in contrast to the previous session’s N2.795 trillion, while the NASD Security Index (NSI) added 93.63 points to finish at 4,678.08 points compared with Thursday’s 4,657.59 points.
The bourse recorded a price loser yesterday, and this was Mass Telecoms Innovation Plc, which crashed by 3 Kobo or 9.4 per cent to settle at 32 Kobo per share versus the previous day’s 35 Kobo per share.
The volume of securities traded by investors plunged by 81.5 per cent to 535,7560 units from 2.9 million units, the value of securities slumped by 93.9 per cent to N6.0 million from N99.2 million, and the number of deals decreased by 41.9 per cent to 36 deals from 62 deals.
Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units transacted for N6.5 billion, and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc with 77.0 million units exchanged for N5.5 billion.
GNI Plc also ended the day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units valued at N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units sold for N415.7 million.
