Bujumbura - Great Lakes Logistics - Burundi (Bujumbura, Head Office)
Great Lakes Logistics-Burundi SA is a Burundi-based freight forwarder established in 2015 as an independent operation following its separation from SDV-Transami (Bolloré). Operating from its head office in Bujumbura, the company has built a regional and international logistics platform designed to support importers and exporters across East Africa and adjacent markets. The business is rooted in a commitment to delivering end-to-end supply chain solutions, combining a broad multimodal service portfolio with local market knowledge and a client-centric approach. While the firm’s public-facing materials highlight a wide spectrum of capabilities, the core value proposition centers on helping customers move goods efficiently, securely, and compliantly through challenging geographies and complex regulatory environments. This positioning is especially relevant for shippers dealing with landlocked markets in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa corridors, where integrated logistics and intermodal solutions can significantly shorten transit times, reduce costs, and minimize handling risks. Great Lakes Logistics-Burundi SA emphasizes a tailored service model that blends Air, Ocean, and Road Freight with Rail Freight and project cargo expertise, complemented by warehousing, customs clearance, and specialized moving services. The organization seeks to differentiate itself through a combination of on-the-ground operational discipline, a demonstrated capability to coordinate cross-border flows, and a customer-oriented mindset that aligns with the needs of manufacturers, importers, distributors, and humanitarian or development organizations operating in the region.
From an end-to-end logistics perspective, the company positions itself as a single-source partner capable of handling diverse cargo profiles—from time-sensitive consumer goods and high-value electronics to machinery, project cargo, and heavy lift shipments. Its Air Freight offering is described as highly customized, focusing on rapid transit, cost control, and competitive lead times to ensure clients gain a tangible edge in fast-moving markets. In the road freight space, Great Lakes Logistics-Burundi SA highlights its ability to design and execute road transportation solutions that connect Burundi with neighboring land-locked markets such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Rwanda, Zambia, and beyond. This emphasis on road corridors aligns with regional supply chains where overland routes are essential for just-in-time delivery and for bridging gaps in multimodal networks.
Ocean Freight capabilities are framed around leveraging a global network to quote and service containerized shipments destined to Burundi or into East Africa, underscoring the company’s understanding of the import/export cycles in the region and its ability to optimize container routing, transit times, and port-to-door movements. The Rail Freight and intermodal offering highlights a specialty in railway and cross-border intermodal transport between Burundi, DRC, Tanzania, and Zambia — a particularly important capability for customers seeking cost-effective solutions for heavy or high-volume cargo while reducing road congestion and terminal handling. The Projects & Heavy Lift Cargo service speaks to the firm’s capacity to plan and execute complex logistics tasks, including oversized or heavy cargo that requires specialized equipment, route surveys, and meticulous scheduling to align with port, rail, road, and air access.
warehousing and value-added storage capabilities are presented as a critical component of the logistics mix. Facilities are described as configurable and fully equipped with insulation and climate control, including heating to maintain temperatures above freezing where needed. This points to an emphasis on maintaining product integrity for temperature-sensitive goods, a feature that resonates with customers handling perishables, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, or specialty machinery components. In addition to storage, the company emphasizes customs clearance expertise, underscoring a commitment to staying current with tariff classifications, permit requirements, inspections, and procedural nuances that impact transit times and compliance. The inclusion of customs services complements the end-to-end service model, helping customers move goods through checkpoints with reduced risk of delays.
Great Lakes Logistics-Burundi SA also frames its capabilities through a customer-relationship lens, highlighting a willingness to adapt processes to client needs and to offer innovative, cost-conscious solutions. The firm’s positioning reflects an orientation toward East Africa’s regional trade flows, with particular attention to the needs of shippers who rely on cross-border collaborations, multi-country routing, and intermodal efficiency to compete in global markets. The company’s portfolio is supported by regulatory licenses that reinforce its credibility and compliance posture, which is important for customers seeking reliable, auditable transport partners who can operate within the region’s dynamic regulatory landscape.
For Freightcue’s directory, Great Lakes Logistics-Burundi SA represents a compelling example of a regional logistics provider with the capacity to support international trade through a diversified suite of services. Freightcue users benefit when combining a broad service offering with local market expertise and cross-border capabilities, enabling buyers to issue requests for quotes, compare bids, and engage with a carrier that can deliver reliable, value-driven solutions. Great Lakes Logistics-Burundi SA’s emphasis on multimodal options, project cargo experience, and temperature-controlled warehousing aligns with Freightcue’s goal of connecting shippers with capable forwarders who can manage end-to-end supply chains in challenging environments. In a platform setting, this company can be positioned as a trusted East Africa specialist with a robust suite of services suitable for general freight, project cargo, and time-sensitive shipments. The platform perspective highlights the potential for buyers to solicit multiple quotes, view service scopes, assess intermodal options, and evaluate overall value propositions—price, transit times, risk management, and service levels—before selecting a partner. Overall, Great Lakes Logistics-Burundi SA embodies the type of diversified, regional logistics provider that Freightcue can help connect with global buyers seeking reliable, multimodal, end-to-end logistics solutions for East Africa and neighboring markets. This combination of regional focus, expanded service lines, and a client-centric operating model makes the company a relevant entry in a Freightcue directory, where buyers can request quotes, compare offerings, and access transparent, solution-oriented logistics services across continents.
