WFP Logistics – we deliver

Copyright: WFP/ALBA

Overview
Logistics faces major challenges for the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the DRC. In addition to the military and political turmoil, decades of corruption and neglect have left the third largest country in Africa which is the size of Western Europe without a proper transport infrastructure.

Team
The DRC Logistics team contains 152 staff in the country office and throughout all sub offices. The team consists of Sr. Logistics officers, Logistics officers and Logistics assistants.

Activities

Port Operations
WFP resorts to a complex, multimodal logistics network with six ports of entry: Matadi, Mombasa, Dar Es Salaam, Durban, Walvis Bay and Beira.

There are different types of ports in DRC:

• Maritime Ports (of Matadi, Boma and Moanda/Banana)
• River Ports
• Lake ports

Matadi : The Port of Matadi is the only major inter land deepwater sea port in the DRC. It is located on the Congo River estuary, at about 80 nautical miles from its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is the only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean. Matadi Port is located in the capital (chef de lieu) of the Bas Congo province. The Port of Matadi is being called by an average of 30 vessels per month of a medium capacity size and the draft.
In addition to above, Mombassa, Dar Es Salaam, Durban, Walvis Bay and Beira ports are used.

Storage
A network of 17 WFP warehouses located mainly in the provincial capitals and 19 mobile storage tents are used for Food and NFIs storage countrywide.
 

Surface Transport
Existing roads, railways, waterways, and air transport possibilities are utilized in order to deliver food and NFIs- Non Food Items to the most remote locations in the DRC.
The air bridge has resumed in February 2009 in order to transport additional food and NFIs, this new airbridge will be expanded in order to move both food and non food items out of Bunia, Beni, Goma, Entebbe to Dungu and Doruma. Road convoys using WFP fleet and commercial transporters are currently organized by WFP from Beni and Kisangani to Dungu (Haut Uélés) in order to transport WFP food and NFIs from other UN agencies and NGOs.
overland transportation of international and local purchases is done through Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa. Food enters DRC via 15 entry points (Matadi port for the western part of the country, Lubumbashi, Kilwa, Pweto, Kalémie, Moba for the province of Katanga and Uvira, Goma, Beni, Aru, Bunia, Mahagi, Dungu, Doruma and Faradje for the Kivus and Orientale provinces).

Rail
Over the years and with the wars, the railway has fallen into disrepair with railway
tracks, wagons and locomotives needing to be rehabilitated and replaced. This situation makes it difficult to evaluate the capacity of the railway.

There are two separate railway networks; One from Matadi to Kinshasa, and a much more extensive network from Sakania in Zambia through Lubumbashi in DRC.In the East, the railway network is 3, 641 kms with 858 kms electrified between Lubumbashi and Kamina, and Tenke and Mutshaba. There are 10 engines for the electrified tracks in working order and another four that could be rehabilitated.

WFP Logistics service provision
As a tool of the Inter Agency Logistics Service, the WFP 47-truck fleet has been of paramount importance for the humanitarian community in order to respond to humanitarian needs in Katanga, Kivus and Province Orientale. Food aid commodities and NFIs (from sister UN agencies and NGOs) have been transported by the DRC trucks fleet .

15 UN agencies and NGOs are regularly using the storage services offered by WFP in the eastern part of the DRC. In 2008, approx. 4000 m3 of non-food itemswere stored by WFP through the Inter Agency storage service in the east.

Emergency Response Capacity

Land Transport
Alternative supply routes to be opened in order to increase through-put capacity include:

• Kigoma/Mpulungu
• Bujumbura (by barge) 
• Uvira, Bukavu, Goma (by road)

Additional port capacity and barge operators in Bujumbura are available to be used in case of congestion in Uvira Current corridor Mpulungu/Kigoma:

• Uvira (by road) 
• Bukavu (by barge)
• Goma Dar es Salam – Isaka – Kigali – Goma (by road)

Shipping
There is an additional corridor to Goma. It is important since maize in grain can be milled either in Isaka or in Kigali. Dar es Salam – Isaka – Bukavu (by road) to be activated in case of increased needs. Mombasa – Kampala /Tororo – Beni already active – [Butembo alternative]

Logistics Cluster
The WFP led Logistics Cluster was activated in 2006 in DRC in order to identify and address logistics bottlenecks. The Logistics Cluster is activated in Kinshasa and in the main provincial capitals (Lubumbashi, Goma, Bunia, Mbandaka, Kindu Uvira, Kalemie, Moba) in order to coordinate the logistics projects of the humanitarian community.