Pan-African
How long tracked export containers stayed at ports in 2022
In a World Bank tracking sample from May to October 2022, the median export container spent 3.0 days at port in Tunisia, 5.3 days in Kenya and South Africa, and 11.0 days in Nigeria.
Sources checked
Each span runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile of observed port dwell times.
A median gives the midpoint of the observed trips
Half of the recorded export port dwell times fall on either side of the median. The medians in this group were 3.0 days in Tunisia, 3.1 in Senegal and 3.8 in Ghana. The chart shows the middle half, which helps reveal variation among trips with similar medians. Source 1
Long waits move the average above the median
Nigeria’s sample had a mean port dwell of 13.1 days and a median of 11.0 days. Its middle half spanned 7.3 to 16.8 days. Togo’s sample had 279 observations, compared with 35,442 for South Africa, so the two rows draw on different amounts of recorded traffic. Source 1
Consolidated dwell includes time at inland facilities
The report separates the time at port from a measure that also includes stops at inland multimodal clearance facilities. Namibia’s mean was 6.2 days at port and 6.8 days on the consolidated measure. These figures cover dwell time, while travel between stops has a separate lead-time measure. Source 1
The period is a historical snapshot
The source covers tracked movements in six months of 2022. The mix of participating routes and tracked containers can affect a country-level result. To plan a current shipment, check recent corridor and terminal evidence for the route and direction in use. Source 1 Source 2