The disruption around the Strait of Hormuz is forcing global shipping to reconsider routes that have long been central to energy and merchandise trade. Traffic through the strait has remained far below normal levels, with only five commodity vessels recorded on August 25 compared with a 10-day average of 15, according to Kpler data cited by Reuters. Iran and Oman are also discussing a temporary navigation corridor, but shipping risks remain elevated.
Longer voyages around Africa are already becoming part of that adjustment. Major shipping operators have continued routing vessels around the Cape of Good Hope rather than using the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, despite higher fuel costs, longer transit times, and increased insurance expenses. African ports and maritime service providers are beginning to see some of the resulting activity, including additional repair, refueling, and technical calls in South Africa.
Africa has an obvious geographic advantage, but location alone will not turn diverted shipping into lasting economic gains. The continent handles about 90% of its imports and exports by sea, according to the African Union, yet many ports still face infrastructure, connectivity, and efficiency constraints. Competition for transshipment and logistics business increasingly depends on terminal capacity, rail and road links, storage, customs systems, and digital services as much as on geographic position.
Port capacity is only one part of the opportunity. A longer presence of international vessels can generate demand for bunkering, ship repair, warehousing, insurance, logistics, and related services, while stronger maritime corridors could improve connections between coastal gateways and inland markets. The economic payoff would be considerably larger if African countries could capture more of these activities rather than serving only as transit points for foreign shipping companies.
Recent policy developments suggest that African institutions are trying to improve that position. In April, African transport and energy ministers endorsed frameworks for green ports, maritime decarbonization, harmonized maritime governance, and a Maritime Single Window designed to facilitate trade and strengthen the continent’s maritime competitiveness. The measures are explicitly linked to Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Security will be just as important as infrastructure. Greater use of African sea routes could increase commercial opportunities, but it would also raise the importance of safe navigation across the Gulf of Guinea, the Western Indian Ocean, and other strategic waters. The African Union is still working to strengthen maritime coordination, including efforts to operationalize a combined maritime task force in the Gulf of Guinea and implement the Lomé Charter and the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy.
What happens around Hormuz therefore presents Africa with an opportunity, but not an automatic windfall. Additional shipping volumes can bring immediate business to selected ports, yet the larger prize is building infrastructure and services capable of making Africa a more competitive component of global supply chains. Stronger links between ports, inland corridors, and AfCFTA markets would give the continent a better chance of converting temporary route changes into longer-term trade and logistics capacity.
Africa cannot control where global shipping disruptions occur. It can control how effectively its ports, transport networks, and maritime institutions respond when those disruptions make alternative routes more valuable.
