Port of Lome strengthens role in global supply chains amid Middle East turmoil

The Port of Lome in Togo has emerged as a key player as global shipping disruptions continue due to rising tensions in the Middle East, reinforcing its position as a strategic hub in international supply chains.

Turmoil in the Middle East has created critical energy choke points, disrupted vital supply lines, and forced commercial shipping to take longer, more expensive detours often around the southern tip of Africa.

These rerouted vessels have brought extra business to ports along Africa's Atlantic coastline, with Lome standing out as a vital hub in West Africa.

On the shores of the Gulf of Guinea, the Autonomous Port of Lome, the Togolese capital, operates around the clock, handling more than 35 million tonnes of cargo annually and processing over two million twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs).

"We have representatives from Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali on our board of directors, serving as administrators in the management of the Port of Lome. This is not something new, born out of current West African dynamics. These relationships go back centuries," said Kodjo Adegnon, director general of the port.

The port has become a strategic gateway for landlocked Sahelian countries, with logistics corridors linking Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali to the Togolese coastline. Cooperation is now institutionalized, with representatives from these countries directly involved in the port's governance.

"In Togo's logistics system, the Adetikope Industrial Platform plays a very important role. Its primary objective was to ease congestion at the Port of Lome. Today, all transit cargo destined for landlocked countries has been entrusted to the Adetikope Industrial Platform," said Idiola Sandah, general coordinator of the platform.

To sharpen competitiveness, Lome has digitalized most of its operations, cutting delays and costs in the race among West African ports to capture Sahelian trade flows.

"In terms of delays and costs, there are several advantages put in place by the authorities, particularly digitalization. Today, almost all port operations are digitalized," said Francisco Kpodar, president of Association Convergence.

"When goods leave the Port of Lomé for Ouagadougou, Mali, or Niger, security and escort systems are put in place to ensure the safe transportation of the cargo," said Kodjo Dansou, a Sahel corridor transport operator.

As global routes shift, Lome's mix of safety and efficiency has made it a reliable choice for shipping companies looking for alternatives.

"I believe the current situation around the Strait of Hormuz has actually had a positive impact on the Port of Lomé. As the strait has become an area of insecurity and difficult navigation, several shipping companies have chosen to return to more traditional routes," said Edem Kokou Tengue, Togolese minister delegate for maritime economy.

Inaugurated in 1968, the Autonomous Port of Lome has grown into a key economic pillar for Togo and a lifeline for Sahelian countries. More than just infrastructure, it now stands as a strategic anchor for regional supply chains in times of crisis.

Port of Lome strengthens role in global supply chains amid Middle East turmoil

After years of displacement in Lebanon, some Syrian families are returning home following the escalation of fighting between Lebanon and Israel, not to a land of peace and plenty, but to devastated neighborhoods, damaged infrastructure, and limited opportunities.

For families like Basel Barakat's, who fled Aleppo after the battle and spent years in Lebanon seeking safety, the dream was always to come back without oppression or shelling.

Little Ahmad, Basel Barakat's son, was born in Lebanon, but Syria is his true home, a country he only set foot in recently.

After the recent escalation in Lebanon, the family returned to their hometown in Urum al-Kubram, on the outskirts of Aleppo.

When conflict erupted in Lebanon two months ago, over 140,000 Syrians were forced to flee once more, returning to a country already struggling to aid 16 million people.

"We had a dream, a real dream, to go back without Bashar al-Assad, without oppression, without planes, without shelling of this country," said Basel Barakat.

Basel Barakat and his family live in an area shattered by years of war and earthquakes, yet they are slowly rebuilding their home, step by step.

"We came back to our houses that are completely destroyed, dilapidated, buried. I think it would be better to have these two windows. The door here is not mine. There are no doors, no electricity, no water. But it is enough for us to return to our country, our village, our homeland. There is nothing worse than being away from one's homeland," he said.

His aunt Samia Barakat returned with the family, saying rebuilding is hard amid destroyed infrastructure and few jobs.

"I came back to my country. But I am sad because my country is ruined. My homes are ruined. My income is gone. I have nothing," said Samia Barakat.

Ill and widowed, Samia Barakat now lives with her sister. Still, she was determined to return home.

"When I die, they will bury me in the soil of our country, Syria," she said.

Stories like Samia Barakat's are common across Syria. Returning families face the daunting challenge of rebuilding their lives from the ground up.

After years as refugees in Lebanon, some Syrian families are now returning home, but many are coming back to destroyed neighborhoods and limited services.

Still, for many here, returning to Syria is about rebuilding their lives in the place they still call home.

Coming home is only the beginning, and families like the Barakats are finally starting over.

Displaced Syrians return home to rebuild amid destruction