Dr Juanita Maree to chair Gateway to Growth session at Ports & Rail Week 2026

The Southern African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) is pleased to announce that its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Juanita Maree, will chair the opening session of Ports & Rail Week 2026, “Gateway to Growth: Advancing Integrated Ports and Rail Infrastructure,” on Wednesday, 25 November.

Ports & Rail Week 2026 is a high-level pan-African conference and exhibition bringing together C-suite executives, policymakers, port and rail authorities, infrastructure operators, investors and logistics specialists to examine the innovation, investment and public-private collaboration required to modernise and integrate Africa’s port and rail systems.

The Gateway to Growth session will bring together senior leaders from Africa’s maritime, rail, infrastructure, policy and logistics sectors to explore the performance, connectivity and resilience of the continent’s transport and trade corridors.

Dr Maree’s role recognises her extensive industry leadership and SAAFF’s growing contribution to port reform, rail revitalisation, multimodal integration and practical trade facilitation.

For SAAFF, the future competitiveness of African trade depends on treating ports, railways, roads, inland terminals and border processes as interconnected parts of a single logistics system. Improving one part of the network has limited value unless cargo can move reliably and efficiently across the entire trade corridor.

This systems-based approach is increasingly important as South Africa and the wider region advance reforms involving private-sector participation, infrastructure investment, rail open access, port modernisation and the greater use of data and technology. Smart integration across these systems will be critical to delivering more efficient and resilient trade corridors.

Africa’s importance as a global trade partner continues to grow. Its vast agricultural potential gives the continent a critical role in strengthening world food security, while deeper regional integration is creating new opportunities for intra-African and international trade.

At the same time, rising global demand for Africa’s minerals and metals, many of which are essential to advanced technologies and the transition to a low-carbon economy, places renewed importance on efficient, integrated and resilient transport and logistics corridors.

“Ports and railways are fundamental economic enablers, but their true value lies in how effectively they connect cargo, markets and people,” Dr Maree said. “Africa’s opportunity is to develop integrated corridors that are operationally efficient, commercially sustainable and capable of supporting the continent’s long-term trade and industrial ambitions.”

Ports & Rail Week 2026 will address key priorities including infrastructure development, intermodal connectivity, trade-corridor integration, digitalisation, cargo-handling efficiency, climate-resilient transport solutions and public-private partnerships.

Dr Maree said the conference provides an important opportunity to place practical industry experience at the centre of these discussions and to promote collaboration that translates policy and investment into measurable improvements in capacity, reliability and competitiveness.

Event details

Ports & Rail Week 2026
Dates: 24–25 November 2026
Venue: Coastlands Umhlanga Hotel and Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa
Gateway to Growth session: Wednesday, 25 November 2026
Session Chair: Dr Juanita Maree
Further information: www.portsrailweek.com