Border post delays - challenge for African trade

Border post delays are the
main challenge for companies
expanding into Africa,
according to the State of Logistics
survey published by the Council for
Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR) in 2008.
“These findings are still true in
2009,” says David King, a researcher
on the project at the CSIR.
An increasing number of
companies are expanding into
Africa and are turning to third-party
logistics providers to manage their
logistics activities when operating
across borders. All the companies
researched used road transport as the
main transport mode and border-post
delays were identified as the biggest
hurdle to conquer.
The proposed solutions to these
delays include standard electronic
clearing systems, longer borderpost
operating hours, bettertrained
personnel and improved
communication between key
role players.