Global logistics giant bets big on African and Middle Eastern markets with €500m investment
DHL Group plans to invest around €500 million ($575 million) in healthcare infrastructure across Africa and the Middle East over the next five years.
DHL plans to invest €500 million in healthcare infrastructure in Africa and the Middle East over the next five years.
The investments aim to address growing demand for pharmaceutical logistics and involve key hubs in South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia.
Focus areas include high-value, time-sensitive shipments like vaccines and stem cells, and ensuring product traceability.
DHL Group plans to invest around €500 million ($575 million) in healthcare infrastructure across Africa and the Middle East over the next five years.
The move is part of efforts to tap into growing demand, driven in part by China's expanding presence in the region, according to Bloomberg.
Annette Naude, DHL's head of healthcare for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), said the logistics giant sees strong growth potential in Africa, with a focus on high-value, time-sensitive shipments such as vaccines, stem cells, and cryogenic materials.
'We see America has come in and cut costs, but we do see other countries coming to the forefront and filling those gaps,' said Naude. 'I went to China and met with several investors who are going to make investments on the African continent. Chinese investment in the region is really big.'
Africa, the world's fastest-growing continent by population, is witnessing a sharp rise in demand for pharmaceutical products. According to Grand View Research, the continent's pharmaceutical market is projected to generate $33.8 billion in revenue by 2030.
Focus on healthcare
As part of its strategy to tap into this growth, DHL is directing about 25% of its €2 billion global healthcare investment toward Africa and the Middle East, roughly €500 million over the next five years, said Annette Naude, head of DHL's EMEA healthcare division.
The logistics giant's regional healthcare operations span warehousing, packaging, and supply-chain management, with key hubs in South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia.
A major focus for DHL is ensuring that medical products, especially drugs and devices, are properly tracked from production to delivery. 'We've built specialized warehouses that support ultra-cold shipments and allow for product serialization,' Naude explained, underscoring the company's commitment to safety and traceability in the health-care supply chain.
'When a doctor issues medicine at the bedside of a patient he has to trust and rely on the network that medicine has been transported through,' Naude said.
While tackling entrenched diseases like malaria remains a priority, Africa is also facing new healthcare challenges, said Annette Naude, DHL's head of healthcare for EMEA.
One emerging trend is the growing demand for advanced insulin therapies from China, driven by their ease of use and longer-acting formulas that reduce the frequency of injections, a factor appealing to many governments across the continent.
Naude also highlighted a recent collaboration between China and DHL to establish a medical devices facility in Kenya. The plant now exports equipment to markets in the Middle East and Europe, showing Africa's rising role in global health supply chains.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
39 minutes ago
- New York Post
SoftBank pitches chip giant TSMC on building $1 trillion AI hub in US: report
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son is pitching Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company on a massive $1 trillion complex in the US to build robots and artificial intelligence, according to a report. The giant robotics center would be based in Arizona, a version of the production hub seen in the Chinese city of Shenzhen that could help bring manufacturing back to the US, sources told Bloomberg. It comes as President Trump has been calling for an all-hands approach to bringing manufacturing opportunities to the US, especially by tech companies and automakers. 3 SoftBank's CEO Masayoshi Son speaking during a White House event as President Trump looks on. KEN CEDENO/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Son is seeking out TSMC invest $165 billion in the US and has opened its first Arizona factory – as a partner, according to the report. It's unclear what role Son sees for the Taiwanese chip giant, which makes Nvidia's most advanced chips, and if the company would even be interested in the project. TSMC declined to comment. Codenamed 'Project Crystal Land,' the complex is a clear attempt not only to advance artificial intelligence but to ensure a lasting legacy for Son, who has often talked down his past accomplishments and abandoned projects midway, sources told Bloomberg. The ambitious, one-of-a-kind facility would require support from the Trump administration. SoftBank officials have spoken with federal and state officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, to discuss possible tax breaks for firms building factories or investing in the complex, sources told Bloomberg. Son is also speaking with major tech companies as possible investors, like South Korea's Samsung. SoftBank, Samsung and the White House did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment. 3 Masayoshi Son is reportedly seeking out TSMC as a partner in the Arizona project. REUTERS Son's company has invested heavily in ChatGPT maker OpenAI, recently leading a $40 billion funding round for the Sam Altman-led firm as the two seek to raise hundreds of billions of dollars to fund large data centers in the US. These data centers are crucial to the artificial intelligence industry, which requires vast amounts of power and large storage capabilities. SoftBank's campaigning process for the Arizona complex could signal that its money-raising efforts alongside OpenAI are proceeding at a slower pace than they had anticipated, according to the report. Son has created a list of companies that might take part in the Arizona manufacturing hub, like automation company Agile Robots SE, sources said. 3 President Trump has said he wants to bring manufacturing opportunities back to the US. AP Meanwhile, SoftBank is exploring project financing options for Stargate, its $500 billion initiative to build data centers in the US with OpenAI and Oracle. This financing method could allow SoftBank to raise funding on a project-by-project basis, which is easier than gathering a large sum of money upfront. The same process could potentially be used for Project Crystal Land, according to the Bloomberg report. These plans are still preliminary and could change, sources told the news outlet.
CNBC
40 minutes ago
- CNBC
AI avatars in China just proved they are ace influencers. It only took a duo 7 hours to rake in more than $7 million
Key Points A Chinese entrepreneur raked in $7.65 million after streaming using an interactive digital avatar. That was more than what he earned from his previous livestream, which he hosted personally. "This is a DeepSeek moment for China's entire livestreaming and digital human industry," an analyst said. Chinese influencer Luo Yonghao and co-host Xiao Mu tried out livestreaming on Sunday, June 15, 2025, using interactive digital avatars based on Baidu's generative artificial intelligence model. Screenshot BEIJING — Avatars generated by artificial intelligence are now able to sell more than real people can, according to a collaboration between Chinese tech company Baidu and a popular livestreamer. Luo Yonghao, one of China's earliest and most popular livestreamers, and his co-host Xiao Mu both used digital versions of themselves to interact with viewers in real time for well over six hours on Sunday on Baidu's e-commerce livestreaming platform "Youxuan", the Chinese tech company said. The session raked in 55 million yuan ($7.65 million). In comparison, Luo's first livestream attempt on Youxuan last month, which lasted just over four hours, saw fewer orders for consumer electronics, food and other key products, Baidu said. Luo said that it was his first time using virtual human technology to sell products through livestreaming. "The digital human effect has scared me ... I'm a bit dazed," he told his 1.7 million followers on social media platform Weibo, according to a CNBC translation. Luo started livestreaming in April 2020 on ByteDance's short video app Douyin, in an attempt to pay off debts racked up by his struggling smartphone company Smartisan. His "Be Friends" Douyin livestream account has nearly 24.7 million followers. Luo's and his co-host's avatars were built using Baidu's generative AI model, which learned from five years' worth of videos to mimic their jokes and style, Wu Jialu, head of research at Luo's other company, Be Friends Holding, told CNBC on Wednesday. VIDEO07:49 AI & future of workforce: Andrew Yang on how the technology will impact jobs "This is a DeepSeek moment for China's entire livestreaming and digital human industry," Wu said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. DeepSeek, China's version of OpenAI, rattled global investors in January with its claims of rivaling ChatGPT at far lower costs and using an open-source approach. AI avatars can sharply reduce costs since companies don't need to hire a large production team or a studio to livestream. The digital avatars can also stream nonstop without needing breaks. "We have always been skeptical about digital people livestreaming," Wu said, noting the company had tried out various kinds of digital humans over the years. But he said that Baidu now offers the best digital human product currently available, compared to the early days of livestreaming e-commerce five or six years ago. A growing industry Livestream shopping took off in China after the pandemic forced businesses to find alternative sales channels. More people are turning to livestreaming to earn money from commissions and virtual gifts amid slower economic growth. Livestreaming generated so many sales on Douyin last year that the app surpassed traditional e-commerce company to become China's second-largest e-commerce platform — and ate into the market share of lead player Alibaba, according to a report from Worldpanel and Bain & Company last week. Both and Alibaba's Taobao also offer livestreaming sales portals. Meanwhile, other Chinese companies, including tech giant Tencent, have developed tools to create digital people that can be used as news anchors. In late 2023, several businesses started trying out virtual human livestreamers during the Singles Day shopping holiday. But analysts have cautioned that products sold via livestreams tend to have a high return rate as they are often impulse purchases. The biggest challenge for using virtual humans to livestream is no longer the technology, but compliance and platform requirements, Wu said. Digital humans need to be trained to adhere to regulations about product advertising, while major livestreaming platforms may have different rules about allowing virtual people to host the sessions, he said. Weekly analysis and insights from Asia's largest economy in your inbox Subscribe now For example, Douyin has rolled out restrictions on using the technology, especially if the virtual people do not interact with viewers. While Luo's next virtual human appearance hasn't been set yet, Wu said he expects it will be very soon. And in the future, he said, digital humans could easily livestream in multiple languages to reach users outside China.
Miami Herald
41 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Report: Maserati Under Threat of Being Sold by Parent Company
According to a new report published by Reuters, the storied Italian performance powerhouse, Maserati, may be headed toward an uncertain future. The newswire states that "two sources familiar with the matter" told them that parent company Stellantis is exploring a potential sale of the Trident as part of a broader review of its massive portfolio of 14 distinct automotive brands. Discussions regarding Maserati began before Antonio Filosa was named the automaker's new CEO last month. Filosa's first day as CEO of Stellantis is Monday, June 23, where he will take the helm as Carlos Tavares's formal successor. Tavares, who led Stellantis from its inception, stepped down in December amid disappointing U.S. sales and inventory struggles and growing internal and external pressure to reassess the company's direction. Stellantis Chairman John Elkann has a plate and a half full when it comes to overseeing the company's wide range of global brands, which include the likes of Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Peugeot, and Alfa Romeo. The company is under pressure to streamline its operations and invest wisely. Stellantis is a publicly traded company listed on the stock exchanges of New York, Paris, and Milan, and financially savvy investors and analysts think that trimming down the 14-brand lineup could boost Stellantis' margins. Back in April, they brought in McKinsey & Co., a consulting firm based in New York, to examine the impact of new U.S. tariffs and explore options for Maserati and Alfa Romeo. According to the sources cited by Reuters, selling one or both brands is on the table, but any decisions are still in the early phases. In an emailed statement to Autoblog, a Maserati spokesperson provided the following statement: "A spokesperson for Stellantis stated: 'Respectfully, Maserati is not for sale.'" Additionally, a McKinsey spokesperson told Autoblog in a separate emailed statement that they "have no comment for this story." The timing of the Trident's review coincides with its efforts to position itself to navigate some significant industry challenges. Chinese brands and their affordable, tech-forward offerings are eating into the European market share. Like other European automakers, Stellantis is also trying to navigate the steep U.S. import tariffs recently imposed by President Donald Trump, which can greatly impact import brands like Maserati and the expensive motors it imports in smaller numbers. Unlike Stellantis brands like Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler, no Maserati comes from a production facility in North America; all of Maserati's U.S. lineup is exclusively imported from Italy. Maserati's performance has been underwhelming, as it faces tough ground in its key markets. According to Maserati Chief Executive Officer Santo Ficili, about 35% to 40% of its customers are American. In 2024, Maserati posted an adjusted operating loss of €260 million ($298 million) as it sold just 11,300 units, with 4,819 of those cars reaching drivers in the United States. One of the sources who talked to Reuters said that Stellantis is starting to realize it has more brands than it can really focus on, adding that it needs to "set priorities" with the matter. They also report that some board members are split on this scenario: some think selling Maserati is the best move, while others worry that getting rid of its only luxury brand would hurt the company's reputation. This is not the first time that Maserati has been speculated to be sold. Notably, last year, comments from former Stellantis CFO Natalie Knight suggested that the Trident may be on the way out at the 14-brand automaker, which has sincebeen refuted. However, what we solidly know is that Maserati and Alfa Romeo's brand CEO said that it has a turnaround plan as soon as Filosa takes the helm on Monday, the 23rd. In a June 5 interview with Reuters, he not only denied that Stellantis was selling Maserati, but he also expressed optimism over the future of the Trident and that Filosa will back potential plans, which include new products on the horizon. "We have clear ideas about what we want to do, and we hope we can be ready very soon. Let's wait for Antonio to take up his job," Ficili told the newswire. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
