Better understanding of logistics will drive growth

Regional economic growth will only reach its full potential when political leaders, bureaucrats and educational authorities realise the importance of having efficient logistics chains, says Norbert Liebich, founder of Transworld Cargo. Since its founding in 1986 the company has seen Namibia transition from being under South African economic control through independence in 1990 to its
present positioning as the logistics hub for neighbouring land-linked Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. “As business we are willing to work with government to get freight moving in southern Africa,” he told FTW. Businesses in the region will only be able to grow and create sustainable jobs if the “logistics work”. For that all inefficiencies in the
logistics chain need to be worked out. A priority is the customs officials and practices in all the countries in the region. New barriers are being erected rather than making it easier to move cargo across borders, he says. Transworld operates across all the Namibian borders, and has first-hand experience of the red tape and inefficiencies that delay cargo.
Liebich would like to see an education programme at all levels of government that are involved with business and trade to ensure that the officials understand that economies cannot grow without lowering the cost of doing business by having efficient logistics chains. “Our education system is not teaching people about the basics of how economies operate,” he says.