Freight diplomacy
The French container shipping group CMA CGM will invest in Mombasa logistics infrastructure, reinforcing Kenya’s ambitions to become a gateway for East and Central Africa.
By
AFP
French shipping group CMA CGM signed a “strategic partnership agreement” with the Kenyan government on Sunday, 10 May, to develop logistics and transport infrastructure worth $800m, President Emmanuel Macron announced from Nairobi.
Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and chief executive of CMA CGM, signed the agreement alongside Macron and his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto in Nairobi.
“French companies are investing in Kenya and believe in its potential,” Macron said at a press conference with Ruto. “CMA CGM has just committed to a $800m investment” to develop a port terminal in Mombasa capable of handling large container ships.
“We have signed an agreement creating a joint venture to develop and finance logistics and port infrastructure,” Ruto said.
Macron’s refounded Africa pitch
The deal came on the second day of Macron’s African tour. The French president arrived in Kenya on Sunday, describing the country as emblematic of France’s “refounded relationship” with Africa. He held talks with Ruto before attending the signing of agreements between French and Kenyan companies.
“In total, today we have signed more than $1.1bn in investments,” Macron said. Beyond CMA CGM, he pointed to an investment by Meridiam, the infrastructure developer, which he said would expand Kenya’s second wind farm for $264m.
Kenya as a logistics gateway
CMA CGM’s agreement with the Kenyan government follows the inauguration on 23 April in Abidjan of the French shipowner’s Africa regional office. It positions Kenya, where the group has been present since 2005, as “a major regional gateway for East and Central Africa” and marks “a new stage in the group’s strategy on the continent”, CMA CGM said in a statement.
The aim is to “respond to the growth in supply-chain flows to and from” East and Central Africa, as well as inland logistics and freight management, the group said.
The strategic partnership will seek joint investment solutions to improve Kenya’s competitiveness and strengthen the region’s integration into global trade routes through upgraded infrastructure.
Building regional hubs
CMA CGM, which has operated in Africa for more than 50 years, is pursuing a strategy based partly on the development of regional hubs. The group, which posted revenues of $54.4bn in 2025, wants to secure African trade routes beyond ports alone.
It is currently involved in the operation of nine container terminals across the continent. These include the Kribi container terminal in Cameroon, the Lekki deepwater port in Nigeria, Pointe-Noire in Congo-Brazzaville, Nador West Med in northern Morocco and Sokhna on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
CMA CGM is the world’s third-largest container shipping company, behind Mediterranean Shipping Company and Maersk. It operates more than 700 container ships worldwide and serves more than 420 ports. It is present in 177 countries and employs about 160,000 people.
