Alkagesta’s steel trading arm, Alkavex, is targeting growth in Africa as rising infrastructure demand meets competition from Chinese exports, according to Alkagesta Newsroom. The company identifies shipping coordination and financial discipline as important factors in securing business, with freight disruption, trade restrictions and price volatility among the risks facing steel traders.
Citing the OECD’s Steel Outlook 2026, the newsroom reported that Chinese steel exports increased by 13.8% in 2025 to a record 131.2 million tonnes. That contrasted with a 6.2% decline in global steel exports when intra-regional trade was excluded. China’s share of world steel exports reached 41%, compared with 19% in 2019. Deputy CEO Nijat Osmanli said Chinese supply frequently provides the benchmark against which buyers assess competing offers, putting pressure on other producers’ margins.
African demand forecasts point to further expansion, although the projections differ. Alkagesta Newsroom cited Worldsteel’s April 2026 outlook as forecasting growth of 3.8% in 2026 and 4.6% in 2027. The OECD estimated growth of 16.1% in 2025, followed by an anticipated slowdown to 4.4% in 2026. CEO Jean-Pierre Artigala linked the company’s African strategy to urbanisation and investment needs across housing, transport and industrial projects.
For Alkavex, meeting that demand involves more than negotiating prices. Osmanli identified logistics, product specifications, financing, documentation and mill approvals as significant considerations. In one transaction described by the newsroom, arranging a vessel and aligning shipment dates proved decisive in meeting a customer’s project deadline. The account illustrates the coordination required between mills facing the cost of idle capacity and projects dependent on timely deliveries.
The newsroom also reported that a weekend of disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz affected steel prices and freight rates. Against that volatility, CFO Sylvain Artigala said the company assesses transaction risks while retaining the flexibility to act on opportunities. Alkavex is also expanding towards South America through access to Chinese-origin steel, while drawing on Alkagesta’s petroleum-products relationships in Türkiye and Eastern Europe to support entry into nearby markets.