Browsing: Logistics

inDrive
  • A new platform dubbed inDrive.Freight will allow users to send parcels with the cost of delivery negotiated with the driver. 
  • Customers will send parcels of up to 20,000kg to one another. 
  • The platform will also allow users to  receive or send non-liquid items via in-city routes in Cape Town and Jo’burg.

E-hailing platform inDrive, best known for allowing customers to negotiate prices with drivers, looks set to tap into South Africa’s freight market. The move follows the introduction of bargain-your-ride e-hailing service in the country. 

The new platform dubbed inDrive.Freight will allow users to send parcels with the cost of delivery negotiated with the driver. With offerings ranging from compact cars for smaller parcels, to large trucks suitable for moving or business requirements, customers will send parcels of up to 20,000kg to one another. 

The platform will also allow users to receive or send non-liquid items via in-city routes,

Albert.Nangara. Trends shaping Logistics in Africa. pic1
  • Digitization of logistics and compliance with sustainability policies will shape the future of logistics in African markets.
  • Digitalization involves the development of digital platforms that match supply to demand, whether it be courier apps that deliver groceries or platforms that coordinate freight delivery.
  • Sustainability significantly overlaps with compliance and regulatory requirements. This means stricter regulations on emissions from logistics vehicles, monitoring of cargo ship pollution, and other issues.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused massive damage to global supply chains, with challenges including route congestion and blockages, a global shortage of key logistics components including shipping containers, lack of space in warehouses, a spike in transportation costs, and substantially increased demand for goods around the world, post-lockdown.

Supply chain stability is also under question due to increased tensions as the Russian-Ukraine war drags on.

According to The Africa Logistics, measures to heal and strengthen ailing chains include digitizing parts of the supply…

EABC CEO John Bosco Kalisa. He has called for the geo-fencing of the Northern Corridor and Central Corridor to facilitate trade. www.theexchange.africa

The EAC Trade & Investment Report (2020) shows EAC exports globally stood at US$16.2 billion in 2020 while imports at US$35.6 billion, registering a negative trade balance of US$19.4 billion.

Agayo Ogambi from the Shippers Council of Eastern Africa said Mombasa port throughput declined by 0.9 per cent in 2020. A total of 34.13 million tonnes of cargo were handled in 2020, which is 1.8 million tonnes shy of the target of 35.90 million tonnes in 2019.

Containerized cargo declined by 4 per cent from 1.4 tonnes (2019) to 1.35 million tonnes (2020).

Ogambi called upon government agencies to render services that are commensurate to the fees charged, as outlined in Article 6 of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.…

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In the East African powerhouse, agriculture insurance startup Pula Advisors was featured on the list for its innovation and impact in using technology to provide agriculture insurance to millions of smallholder farmers in emerging markets.

The firm which was founded in 2014 has used technology products through agriculture insurance and digital agronomy to advise and ensure many farmers adapt to an increasingly unpredictable climate.

“Farmers in emerging markets are the most hardworking citizens of the world yet the most likely to already feel the impact of climate change. The future is in farmers’ hands; they only need the appropriate technology and tools and then they can feed the world,” The firm’s CEO Thomas Njeru said.…

Haulage trucks. Moving goods around Africa has been a huge challenge. www.theexchange.africa

China, which has a competitive advantage in construction, can play a leading role in closing this gap. It is also important to grow local high and low wealth logistics companies. Before the pandemic, demand for African logistics companies had grown, and more venture capital was introduced into new local logistics companies.
Although the Covid-19 crisis is causing trade disruptions, road transportation is still vital to food supply, medicine and other necessities for people and medical institutions.…

A railway line. China is the top investor in African infrastructure and it will play a key role in building transport corridors supporting the AfCFTA. www.theexchange.africa

While the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has become a reality, developing robust infrastructure is crucial to its operationalisation and success. 

For maximum benefit, member states to the trade agreement must be connected physically and digitally through hard infrastructure and connected in the harmonisation and coordination of processes through soft infrastructure. 

The pact connecting 1.3 billion people across the 55 African countries with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) valued at US$3.4 trillion faces huge challenges that need quick responses. These responses range from the dependence of African economies on commodity production and exports, the lack of diversification which has caused a mismatch between supply and demand, tariffs and non-tariff barriers (NTBs), inefficient transport infrastructure and poor trade logistics to high-security risk among others.…

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900total oil

FurtherAfricaOil and gas projects are very complex due to a variety of challenges that need to be overcome. Risk management and financial burden are some of the hottest issues currently on these projects.

Now imagine you add Covid-19 and insurgent movements near the project area.

“The French oil and gas company Total is considering setting up a logistical base for its Mozambican operations, not only in part of Mozambique, but on the French Indian Ocean possession of Mayotte, according to a report (…)” as per the digital news portal Club of Mozambique.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise at all.

Being part of the French territory, Mayotte offers the best option for Total as a preferential hub for their project in Mozambique. France operates a military base in Mayotte, in the form of a detachment of its Foreign Legion, making the island a super safe place.

Mayotte is very well …

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The cornerstone of a successful trade is the efficient distribution of goods from the source to all points of sale. As such, cultivating logistics and distribution channels is necessary for the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). 

The continent is made up of over 50 different countries whose levels of development vary vastly. Each country needs to seek its solutions locally, but governments need to come together to improve intra-African trade and cross-border co-operation.

 AfCFTA will undoubtedly be a breakthrough in reducing the cost of shipping in Africa and improving efficiency. The amount of time that will be spent on customs clearance is set to drop drastically.  Currently, it takes more than a week at one-border stops in some countries. …

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