MIDDLE EAST to the country ’ s interior .
“ The media and newspapers make people think that there ’ s a war going on everywhere but the southern part of Iraq has been peaceful for quite some time . It ’ s challenging but the Iraqi government is very happy that we are here . We believe in the country and $ 130 million has been invested in Phase 1 alone .” Madsen adds . Phase 1 will add an additional 350,000 TEU capacity to the port .
Another example of where ICTSI is developing brand new terminal facilities in a challenging environment is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( DRC ). The port at Matadi , on the Congo River , will be the first in the country to be developed via a Public-Private Partnership ( PPP ) port in the DRC . “ It ’ s completely greenfield and is a very challenging place to construct in . We basically had to move mountains to make space for container storage . Construction will be fully completed by the end of the year , and by 1st June this year we will have the first quay , which is important because there are a lot of ships waiting ,” Madsen notes .
Once completed the port will have an annual capacity of 120,000 TEUs and 350,000 tonnes of cargo . It will provide a significant stimulus to the DRC ’ s ailing logistics industry since much of the country ’ s products are currently exported via other countries .
Competitive strategy Madsen explains that the structure of ICTSI has been fundamental to its success in challenging environments like Iraq and the DRC . “ When you work in a challenging environment , having a lean and mean organisation and being able to make quick decisions is very important . You may be forced to make decisions on the spot – there is no time for bureaucracy ; a decentralised organisation and short decision-making process really helps us ,” he underlines .
Madsen and his colleagues also recognise that while the
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