The move will help ALP to drive logistical costs down by providing grade-A warehousing facilities which create built-for-purpose supply chain infrastructure to drive efficiencies that should lead to lower prices for consumers. ALP helps enable companies to focus on their core competencies instead of having to construct, manage, and maintain warehouses on their own. For SME’s in particular, their services will create instant growth opportunities.
The investment – US$25m from CDC and US$10m from IFC – was to be used for ALP’s developments in Nairobi, Kenya, the trading hub of East Africa, where the lack of quality international standard warehousing space has long been a constraint on business growth and economic development. Quality warehousing improves operational efficiencies by reducing waste from poor storage, increasing the speed of product delivery and improving product security.
ALP is also backed by Maris, a Nairobi based private investment business focused on sub-Saharan Africa which invested US$8million.