As the African trade landscape evolves, driven by initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Namibia’s potential as a logistics hub is growing significantly.Renko Bergh, co-founder of CtrlFleet, acknowledges the opportunity this presents but emphasises the need to tackle certain challenges. “Namibia has the opportunity to solidify its role as a crucial logistics gateway for southern Africa, driving regional trade and economic growth. However, it must address obstacles like missed opportunities with broad-scale digitisation, over-dependence on road transport, and limited rail infrastructure – all issues that add to operational costs and can hinder competitiveness.”In addition, Namibia faces regulatory and administrative hurdles, particularly at border posts, which can lead to delays and diminish the efficiency of regional trade routes.“Overcoming these challenges through regional cooperation, improved infrastructure and streamlined customs processes is vital. Namibia’s transport and logistics sector is central to enabling trade,” said Bergh. With Namibia’s economy projected to grow by 4%, compared to South Africa’s less than 2%, logistics will play a crucial role in supporting key industries such as mining, fishing and agriculture, all pillars of the country’s economy. Bergh highlights the importance of efficient transport networks to swiftly move raw materials, particularly minerals and fish products, to ports for export. “For Namibia’s agricultural sector, logistics is vital in transporting perishable goods from rural farms to urban markets, as well as moving cattle and meat products, key export commodities, to international markets.”To capitalise on this potential, he said it was crucial not only to focus on enhancing the country’s infrastructure but also for service providers to invest in advanced systems and software.“Delays at border crossings can have a direct impact on transporters, affecting both their bottom-line costs and customer service. A transport management solution helps address this challenge by allowing transporters to set configurable alerts based on route data such as dwell times, off-route deviations and estimated times of arrival (ETAs) for end clients,” said Bergh. “This is particularly valuable for notifying end clients or other stakeholders when trucks are delayed at border crossings. Additionally, transport operators can continuously monitor delays.”He said more Namibian transporters were adopting driver applications that allowed drivers to digitise important order documents at border crossings, loading or off loading points. “This gives the administration team immediate access to the documents, enabling real-time troubleshooting in case of incorrect documentation. By allowing immediate document returns and seamless communication through the app, further delays can be avoided.” LV
