Port of Lomé: Will the Togolese government approve the Bolloré-MSC deal?
Monday, 23 May 2022 11:32 
(Togo First) - Edem Tengue, Togo’s minister of maritime economy, recently addressed the acquisition of Bolloré’s port assets in Togo by MSC, the world’s largest container shipping line. The official talked about the matter which has sparked diverse reactions in an interview with Tribune Afrique. MSC, it should be emphasized, is already active at the port of Lomé; it operates the Lomé Container Terminal which is the infrastructure’s largest container terminal (it processes nearly 90% of the port’s container traffic).
Regarding the deal between Bolloré and Aponte's family business, it was reached last March. Under its terms, MSC is to take over the French group’s assets by March 2023. This would give MSC a monopoly over the port of Lomé’s handling segment–an outcome that the Togolese government might block.
“Though the two groups reached an agreement, talks are not over yet. Nevertheless, the government reserves the right to comment on this deal at the appropriate time. For now, any comment would be premature,” said Edem Tengue.
At the same time, the official praised MSC for its contribution to the port of Lomé’s improved performance in recent years. "The arrival of MSC has increased tenfold Togo's ability to connect directly to other ports in Africa," Tengue said.
Since Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) became operational in 2014, the volume of containers processed at the port of Lomé increased fivefold. MSC, which manages this terminal plans to invest over €400 million in the port.
MSC, let’s recall, recently acquired Togo Terminal, a subsidiary of Bolloré Transport & Logistics. The latter has a 35-year operating concession in Togo.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
