The African port performance gap: what it means for supply chains across the continent

Sub-Saharan Africa's gateway challenges persist through 2025 as Djibouti, Lomé, and Durban see anchor times worsen in the second half of the year. Here's how pxerformance has shifted across the continent's key ports from January through October.

Two halves of a year

African port performance in 2025 tells a story of hope followed by setback.

January-March: The recovery period

The year started poorly. Mombasa faced 3.6 days of average anchor time in January, among the worst globally. Djibouti logged 2.3 days. Tema struggled with 1.7 days. By February, Mombasa peaked at 3.6 days, Tema at 1.9 days.

Then came a sharp turnaround. By March, Mombasa had dropped to 1.2 days (a 66% improvement from peak), Djibouti fell to near zero, Tema reached 0.67 days. The continental average anchor time dropped from 1.77 days in January to 0.61 days in March (a 65% improvement).

April-June: Sustained efficiency

Through mid-year, many African ports maintained their gains. By June, only six ports exceeded 0.5 days average anchor time. Mombasa had stabilized at 0.66 days. Tema held at 0.54 days.

September-October: The reversal

Then came autumn, and three major patterns emerged.

Djibouti's deterioration accelerated from near zero days in March to 3.56 days by October, the highest globally and worse than its January starting point.

Southern and West Africa worsened sharply. Durban jumped from 0.54 days in August to 1.17 days by October (a 117% increase in two months). Lomé nearly doubled from 0.81 days in January to 1.64 days, with most deterioration coming after August.

East African gains partially held. Mombasa finished October at 1.45 days (down from 3.6 days peak but up from 0.66 days mid-year). Tema ended at 0.86 days.

The continental average climbed back to 1.74 days by October, nearly matching where it started in January.

Who bears the impact

Ethiopia's import lifeline: Every Ethiopian import passes through Djibouti. When anchor times spiked from 1.17 days in May to 3.56 days by October, that's an additional 2.4 days (roughly 58 hours) that goods sit waiting before they can begin the inland journey to Addis Ababa.

Southern Africa's manufacturing hub: Durban handles the majority of South Africa's containerized trade. Its deterioration from 0.54 days in August to 1.17 days in October creates cascading effects for manufacturing operations working with just-in-time principles.

West African regional flows: Lomé serves as a transshipment hub for landlocked Sahel nations. When anchor times nearly double to 1.64 days, that delay affects not just Togo but cargo continuing to Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

East African agricultural exports: Kenya's cut flower and fresh vegetable exports through Mombasa face strict time windows for European markets. While the improvement from 3.6 days to 0.66 days represented a major success, the climb back to 1.45 days shows gains can reverse.
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The volatility problem

Beyond average anchor times, month-to-month variance creates its own challenge.

The consistent operators: Throughout 2025, several African and MENA ports maintained steady, efficient operations:

• Tanger Med (Morocco): Averaged 0.03 days all year
• King Abdullah (Saudi Arabia): Effectively zero wait times every month
• Jeddah (Saudi Arabia): Averaged 0.08 days throughout
• Port Said (Egypt): Averaged 0.04 days

These ports demonstrate that geographical location doesn't predetermine performance.

The volatile gateways: Other major ports showed dramatic month-to-month swings:

• Mombasa: 0.66 days (best) to 3.62 days (worst), a 5.5x variation
• Tema: 0.54 days to 1.93 days, a 3.6x variation
• Djibouti: Near-zero in March to 3.56 days in October

For supply chain planners, this volatility compounds the challenge. A port averaging 1.5 days might be manageable with proper planning. A port that's 0.5 days one month and 2.5 days the next creates uncertainty that's harder to mitigate.

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Regional comparison: Africa in context

Sub-Saharan Africa started 2025 with the highest anchor times (1.77 days) but improved dramatically to 0.61 days by March. However, this progress reversed through the second half of the year, climbing back to 1.74 days by October.

In contrast, other regions showed different patterns:

• East Asia maintained the lowest, most stable performance (0.12 days average)
• MENA (which includes efficient ports like Jeddah and Tanger Med) stayed consistently low at 0.13-0.17 days
• North America improved steadily from 0.83 to 0.40 days
• Europe and Southeast Asia remained relatively stable around 0.30-0.35 days

The divergence is stark: by October, Sub-Saharan African ports averaged 1.74 days while East Asian ports averaged 0.12 days, a 14x difference.

Making routing decisions with volatile data

For supply chain professionals managing African cargo, these patterns create both constraints and opportunities:

Time your shipments strategically. With some ports showing clear seasonal patterns (better performance March-June, deterioration September-October), planning around these windows where possible can reduce risk.

Build in buffer time. When a port's anchor time can swing from 0.5 days to 2.5 days month-to-month, relying on average performance for planning creates exposure. Building in contingency time helps absorb variability.

Weigh alternatives seriously. The performance gap between best and worst African ports is now substantial. For West African cargo, Tema (0.86 days) versus Lomé (1.64 days) represents nearly a full day difference in just the anchor time component.

Track in real time. When port performance changes month-to-month, historical averages lose predictive value. Real-time visibility into where your vessel is, whether it's at anchor or berthed, and how long similar vessels have waited recently becomes essential.

Consider total landed cost. The fastest port isn't always the best choice when factoring in inland transport, customs efficiency, and total transit time. But when anchor times vary by 1-3 days between options, gateway performance becomes a more significant variable.

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