DHL Global Forwarding, the leading international provider of air, sea and road freight services, and Ethiopian Airlines, the largest aviation group in Africa, today signed a new agreement to form a joint venture company – DHL-Ethiopian Airlines Logistics Services Ltd., to build the Leading Cargo Logistics provider JV company in Africa; the company will be based in Ethiopia and do business in the entire continent of Africa, enhancing Ethiopia’s logistics infrastructure and connections.
Ethiopian Airlines, which assumes a majority stake in this joint venture, will provide regulatory
and operational support as DHL Global Forwarding establishes air, ocean, and road freight
connections between Ethiopia’s main trade hubs and the rest of the world. Pramod Bagalwadi, a
DHL veteran with over two decades of experience in management roles within the logistics
industry, has been appointed to lead the new organization. This will be an additional portfolio for
Pramod, who currently leads the Industrial Projects Team for DHL in Sub-Saharan Africa and a
strategic business partner for the company in the region.
“With its GDP growth, Africa is stepping into the spotlight as production hub. Recent moves to
open up the economy will continue to boost Ethiopia’s position as the fastest-growing economy
in Africa, and under Pramod’s leadership, the company will be able to provide a scalable and
durable logistics infrastructure to safely handle the sensitive needs of its core industries”, said
Amadou Diallo, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Middle East and Africa, “Logistics is key to support Africa’s fast economic growth and industrialization drive. Ethiopian has, therefore, partnered with DHL who has a proven expertise and experience in the logistics sector, with a view to avail the right logistics solutions in terms of cost, time and quality. We have had a longstanding and mutually rewarding partnership with DHL, and with this JV we aim to make the country a logistics hub for Africa,” said Tewolde GebreMariam, CEO, Ethiopian Airlines Group.
The joint venture is another step in an extended partnership between DHL Global Forwarding
and Ethiopian Airlines. Since 2010, DHL Global Forwarding has been supporting the
maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) operations of Ethiopian Airlines’ commercial segment,
extending various solutions on end-to-end Logistics Services for aircraft parts, engines and
mechanical modules to textile, utensils, food and beverages – via air and ocean freight between
Europe and Asia.
The joint venture will provide much-needed freight capacity and logistics infrastructure to Africa,
where soaring economic growth has rapidly driven up demand for international forwarding and
handling services.
