France, May 8 -- Heir to a family fortune built in paper manufacturing, Bollore steadily transformed the business into a sprawling network of commercial and political influence.

First expanding through transport and commodity interests, more recently he has strengthened his position through television, radio, newspapers and publishing, reshaping parts of the French media landscape in the process.

Africa was central to that expansion. Through ports, concessions, warehouses and freight operations, Bollore built a dominant position in transport and logistics across parts of West and Central Africa, where access to ports is critical to national economies. African networks

For years, Bollore Africa Logistics (BAL) was one of the most import...