ConnexAfrica

What ConnexAfrica does

ConnexAfrica, operating as the Connex Group of Companies since 1953, is a privately held multimodal logistics provider headquartered in Africa with operations spanning 9 countries and 45 offices across DRC, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Angola, Belgium, and China (Hong Kong). The group employs more than 1,000 staff and runs a physical infrastructure base of 20,000m² of warehousing and a 75,000m² truck park. Core service lines include international freight forwarding (sea, air, and road), customs clearance and brokerage, shipping agency representation for Hapag-Lloyd (DRC) and UAL (Ghana), contract warehousing, and — through subsidiary EXA SAS — embedded cargo and transit insurance brokerage.

The company primarily serves enterprise B2B clients in capital-intensive African industries: mining (notably 300,000 tons/year of copper and cobalt out of southern DRC), agriculture, oil and gas, manufacturing, and project cargo. Group Managing Director Jan-Willem de Braal leads alongside DRC Director Stephane Kabasu, whose tenure traces back to the 1953 founding, and a dedicated Chinese business team led by Emilie that supports China-Africa trade flows via the Hong Kong office. Quality management is anchored by ISO 9001 certification (held since 2013) and UN Global Compact alignment, with specialized licensing for agricultural and petroleum product handling.

The business model is fee-for-service logistics: ConnexAfrica earns per-shipment margins on freight forwarding, customs brokerage commissions, warehousing rentals, and insurance premiums underwritten through EXA SAS. Shipping agency appointments generate fixed retainer and per-call revenue from liner partners. The model is asset-light in transport (third-party carriers) but asset-heavy in warehousing, truck parking, and customs brokerage licensing — a configuration that captures spread on commodity volumes (especially copper/cobalt) while requiring regulatory and infrastructure capital to maintain. No external funding has been disclosed; the company appears to be founder/family-controlled and reinvesting operating cash flow into the geographic and service expansion evident across the 2018-2025 period.

Name

ConnexAfrica

Legal name

Connex Group of Companies

Website

https://connexafrica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ConnexAfrica is a privately held multimodal logistics provider founded in 1953, operating 45 offices across 9 countries in Africa, Europe, and Asia. It serves enterprise B2B clients — primarily in mining, agriculture, oil and gas, and manufacturing — with freight forwarding, customs clearance, shipping agency, warehousing, and insurance brokerage services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics Services

NAICS

Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (425120), Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals (424710)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific Contract Logistics (Automotive, Pharma, Retail, Aerospace, etc.) (TLAIAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG), Trade Compliance & Ocean Regulatory Services (Sanctions/Export Controls) (TLACABAL)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Customs clearance brokerage
• Multimodal logistics solutions
• Warehousing and storage
• Shipping agency services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kinshasa

HQ country

Congo - Kinshasa

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Multimodal freight forwarding services covering road, rail, sea, and air transport with transparent pricing based on requirements, shipment volume, and market rates
2. Customs Clearance: Specialist customs brokerage and clearance services ensuring compliant import/export solutions
3. Shipping Agency: Official shipping agency representation for Hapag-Lloyd and UAL, providing access to global shipping routes and services
4. Storage and Warehousing: Bonded and free storage options for short-term and long-term warehousing with inventory management systems
5. Insurance Brokerage: Insurance intermediary services placing client risks with appropriate insurance companies for cargo, work accident, car, border, and fire insurance

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ConnexAfrica is a multimodal logistics provider offering end-to-end supply-chain services across Africa and international corridors. Its five integrated lines are freight forwarding and transport (road, rail, sea, air), customs clearing, shipping agency (official agent for Hapag-Lloyd in DRC and Universal Africa Lines in Ghana), storage and warehousing (bonded, free, cold-chain, hazardous), and insurance brokerage via EXA SAS in DRC. The company sells directly to enterprise clients in mining, agriculture, oil & gas, and manufacturing through 45 offices in 9 countries.

Product overview

ConnexAfrica operates as a single unified logistics platform offering five integrated core services: Freight Forwarding & Transport, Customs Clearing, Shipping Agency, Storage & Warehousing, and Insurance. These services work together to provide end-to-end multimodal logistics solutions spanning road, rail, sea, and air freight across Africa and international corridors. The company positions itself as a one-stop-shop for logistics needs, combining customs expertise, shipping agency partnerships (Hapag-Lloyd, UAL), warehousing infrastructure, and insurance brokerage to deliver comprehensive supply chain management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EXA SAS: Insurance brokerage company authorized by ARCA in DRC, offering cargo, car, work accident, border, fire, and business interruption insurance

Products and services

• Freight Forwarding & Transport

Quantifiable outcome

• 70+ years of logistics expertise in Africa
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Hapag-LloydcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConnexAfrica acts as the official shipping agent for Hapag-Lloyd in the Democratic Republic of Congo, providing efficient and reliable shipping services for global trade.
• Universal Africa Lines (UAL)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConnexAfrica acts as the official shipping agent for Universal Africa Lines (UAL) in Ghana, providing efficient and reliable shipping services for African trade routes.
• EXA SAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEXA SAS is an insurance brokerage company authorized by ARCA (Insurance Regulatory and Control Authority in DRC), providing insurance intermediary services including work accident, car, cargo, border, fire, and business interruption insurance to protect ConnexAfrica clients.
• OCL (Open Corridor Logistics Lda)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrusted partner operating ConnexAfrica services in Angola, delivering reliable end-to-end logistics solutions across the country's key commercial hubs including Luanda, Lobito, Luvo and Lau.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Imperial Logistics: South African-headquartered logistics group offering freight forwarding, warehousing, customs and industry-specific contract logistics with deep African reach into mining, manufacturing and consumer verticals.
• Bolloré Africa Logistics: Largest historical pan-African multimodal logistics platform operating freight forwarding, customs, port logistics and warehousing across West and Central Africa. Closest like-for-like comparable to ConnexAfrica's integrated African logistics model.

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel: Top-tier global 3PL with growing Africa footprint and integrated forwarding, customs and contract logistics offerings overlapping ConnexAfrica's enterprise customer base.
• Maersk Logistics & Services: Global ocean carrier integrating end-to-end inland logistics, customs and warehousing; competes directly with ConnexAfrica's shipping-agency and freight-forwarding services especially at African port gateways.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Global freight forwarding and customs brokerage leader with significant African presence, competing for multinational enterprise accounts and bulk contract logistics in mining and manufacturing.
• CEVA Logistics: Global contract logistics and freight management company serving mining, energy and industrial customers in Africa with multimodal forwarding, customs and warehousing.
• DSV (formerly UTi / Panalpina): Global freight forwarder with strong African road, air and ocean forwarding capabilities and customs services competing for the same mining, manufacturing and trading customers as ConnexAfrica.
• Agility Global Integrated Logistics: Global freight forwarding and contract logistics operator with African operations competing in trade corridors and customs brokerage for enterprise and government customers.
• DB Schenker: German-headquartered global logistics provider with established African network spanning freight forwarding, contract logistics and customs solutions across industrial customers.

Regional players

• Siginon Group: East African multimodal logistics provider offering freight forwarding, customs clearance, warehousing and transport with a similar integrated service profile to ConnexAfrica's Zambia and Ivory Coast operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ConnexAfrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connexafrica
• Instagraminstagram.com/connexafricalogistics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ConnexAfrica