A PwC report on ten African countries has named Nigeria and Ghana as Africa’s rising stars in terms of their future prospects for the transport and logistics industry.

PwC capital projects and infrastructure solutions associate director Andrew Shaw says Nigeria should see its economy double in ten years, should it manage the average 6.8% gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for 2012 to 2017.

Nigeria is ranked as the world’s fourth-fastest growing economy, driven largely by oil exports.

Shaw says the Nigerian government has ambitious plans to expand its infrastructure, rated in the study as average, to assist in growing the economy further.

A new $1.6-billion deep-sea port is planned at Lekki, while $2-billion will be invested to reconstruct 2 000 km of rail.

The ten countries included in the study, completed with the assistance of Econometrix in South Africa, are Algeria, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania.

The countries were judged against one another in terms of demographics and resources; economics; business environ- ment; trade and logistics; and transport infrastructure, with each rated as either ‘attractive’, ‘average’ or ‘unattractive’.

South Africa fared best overall, with attractive economics, business environment, trade and logistics and transport infrastructure, although it scored an average on demographics and resources.

Ghana came second, so to speak, with attractive economics, business environ- ment and trade and logistics, and average transport infrastructure and demographic and resources.

Ghana is seen as politically stable and is well connected to its neighbours, while also offering a high level of education. The country’s public expenditure on education as a percentage of its GDP is the highest of all ten countries.

The DRC scored worst in the PwC study, with average demographics and resources, and unattractive economics, business environment, trade and logistics and transport infrastructure.

Looking ahead from 2012 to 2017, the situation in the DRC is not expected to improve significantly, despite average GDP growth of 8.6% – the highest of all ten countries.

Angola is forecast to record average GDP grow of 5.7% during this period, with Ghana at 5.9%, Kenya 6.2%, Mozambique 8%, Nigeria 6.8%, South Africa 3%, Algeria 3.6%, Egypt 3.5% and Tanzania 7%.

Shaw says Mozambique is a case in point of how inadequate infrastructure can stall growth.

“The country has massive reserves of coal and natural gas that can’t get out.”

Mozambique’s lack of infrastructure, and fast-deteriorating existing infrastructure, have forced landlocked countries, such as Zimbabwe, to rather move their goods through Tanzania or South Africa.

New oilfields in Kenya and Uganda, as well as growing agricultural exports, are expected to kick-start a new round of investments at East African ports.

Just over $50-million is to be invested in Kenya’s Mombasa port, and $400- to $500- million in Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam port.

Shaw says China is an important driver of infrastructure construction in Africa, in exchange for much-needed natural resources.

The DRC State copper company has, for example, signed a contract with China worth more than the DRC’s yearly budget.

Kenya’s $5-billion rail agreement linking Mombasa with Uganda was also driven by China, says Shaw.

While exporting and importing goods are important, he emphasises that Africa should do more to improve intra-Africa trade.

Only 11% of Africa’s trade is with African trading partners, compared with 50% between Asian countries.

This means Africa’s road network has to improve.

Shaw says a roll-out of infrastructure to cater for mining, oil and gas projects should lead to a growing retail and agricultural sector, which has a different set of infra- structure demands, such as cold storage.

He names threats to the African business environment as corruption, strike action in South Africa, the continued Arab Spring up north, piracy on the East Coast, and regular floods in Angola and Mozambique.

There is also a lack of political will to collaborate.

“Whether moving resources off the continent or bringing goods and services into its burgeoning economies, Africa’s future growth and development will depend on the quality of its infrastructure and the efficiency of its transport networks,” notes PwC transportation and logistics global leader Klaus-Dieter Ruske.