Cargo volumes expected to grow

Cargo volumes in the
mining and minerals
sector should pick up this
year, especially towards
the second half of the year,
according to Christian
Roeder, CEO of logistics
and transport company
J&J Africa.
“We are continuing to
invest in infrastructure
such as warehousing and
systems to improve our
efficiencies,” he said.
Roeder told FTW
that low commodity
prices and uncertainty
around government
regulations could be a
threat to that projected
growth but added
that the Mozambican
company – which offers
transport between
Mozambique, Zimbabwe,
Zambia, Malawi and the
Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC) – addressed
these challenges through
dialogue with government
on current and planned
regulations.
“There is poor legislative
collaboration between
Southern African
Development Community
(SADC) member countries
but the challenges can be
managed by ensuring we
stay on top of the changes,”
said Roeder.
Aside from the “usual”
issues of poor infrastructure,
inefficient border posts
and high logistics costs in
general, one of the major
challenges to growth was
obtaining visas for clients
and suppliers, he added.
CAPTION
Christian Roeder, CEO J&J Africa.