Global trade enabler DP World has signed a 20 - year concession with an automatic 20 - year extension with the Republic of Mali to build and operate a 1000 - hectare modern logistics hub outside of Bamako, the capital and largest city of Mali.
The multimodal logistics platform, Mali Logistics Hub (MLH), will have inland container depots (ICD) and Container Freight Stations (CFS) that will facilitate the import and export of goods. The Mali Logistics Hub will be located on the main road corridor from Dakar, Sene gal to Bamako and close to the Dakar - Bamako rail line and will be capable of handling 300,000 TEU (twenty - foot equivalent unit), 4 million tons of bulk and general cargo.
The first phase of the project, with an estimated initial investment of $50 million , will include an inland container depot and container freight station facility that will support the growth of the Malian economy by streamlining the import and export of goods. Construction is expected to start in 2019 and is to take approximately 18 mon ths to complete.
DP World will also provide the Republic of Mali with three locomotive trains to boost cargo & passenger traffic along the Bamako - Dakar rail system. Furthermore, the Mali logistics hub will significantly reduce processing times for products entering the Malian market as part of efforts to reduce obstacles to trade and economic development. DP World will also implement its online paperless facilitation platform to ac celerate the movement of goods as part of the agreement.