Middle East crisis puts Africa at centre of global commerce

Crude oil tanker ‘Nan Lin Wan’ discharges petroleum products at the Mombasa port.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

The blockade of Gulf and Red Sea routes as a result of ongoing war in the Middle East has placed Africa at the centre of the world’s commercial map as continental ports and airports benefit from the conflict.

The Cape of Good Hope, which the Suez Canal rendered largely redundant as a commercial route in 1869, has returned as the planet’s most important maritime detour.