Category: In Depth

The emerging markets e-commerce opportunity

logistafrica

Author: Mike Bhaskaran, Group COO of Digital Technology at DP World Online retail has boomed in the last two years, triggered by the pandemic which drove consumers to buy their goods on the internet. While this presented a major challenge for bricks-and-mortar retailers, it created a lucrative opportunity for online vendors and e-commerce platforms. Meta most recently jumped on this trend, partnering with JioMart to improve consumer access to food and goods in India – allowing them to make purchases within WhatsApp, a platform used by over 100 million users…

Read More

THINK GLOBAL AND ACT LOCAL TO REMEDY PROCUREMENT MYOPIA AND ENSURE BUSINESS SUCCESS AND RESILIENCE, EXPERTS ADVISE

logistafrica

Procurement myopia can be a death sentence for an organisation. This has never been more true than in today’s fragile, post-pandemic and disruption fraught business environment, where economies are still reeling, and business resilience and innovation are more important than ever. “Glocalisation” is a remedy for procurement myopia, according to Dr. Jones Mathew, who is a Professor at the Great Lakes Institute of Management in Gurgaon, India. He was one of the 100 renowned African and international experts who shared their experience and insights with the more than 500 delegates…

Read More

MORE SUPPORT AND CAREER PATHING NEEDED FOR WOMEN IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

logistafrica

A lack of career opportunities is the main reason that women leave the supply chain profession, according to respondents in the recently published seventh annual Gartner / AWESOME Women in Supply Chain research survey. MJ Schoemaker, president of SAPICS, The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management in Southern Africa, notes that while supply chain management has come a long way from the once male dominated field in which women only filled service roles, it still has a long way to go in terms of gender parity. “We have seen an increase in the…

Read More

The role of railways in empowering AfCFTA’s success

logistafrica

Trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) commenced in January 2021, creating a huge single market of 54 African states – all but Eritrea – of almost 1.4 billion people. It’s a game changer for Africa with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) estimating (1) that AfCFTA has the potential both to boost intra-African trade by 52.3% by eliminating import duties, and to double this trade if non-tariff barriers are also reduced’. Jettisoning the trade barriers Prior to the AfCFTA, cross-border African trade was impeded by average tariffs of…

Read More