Trade needs vibrant logistics sector - players

Sendy’s Commercial Director, Mr Victor Mwangi (in a jacket) explaining to partners how the platform works. This was during the launch of Sendy Logistics Platform operation in Uganda last week. Photo by Ismail Musa Ladu  

In Summary

• Avoiding fragmentation. According to Dr Merian Sebunya, the Cargo Freight Station (CFS) in East Africa chairperson, the success of the industry in Uganda will depend on the smooth collaboration with all the other economic sectors, urguing players to avoid fragmentation.

By ISMAIL MUSA LADU

Accelerating trade needs a vibrant logistics industry, according to Mr Meshack Alloys, a key player in the sector.
Speaking during an event to announce the entry of Sendy in Uganda, Mr Meshack, the company’s chief executive officer and co-founder said: “We want to be part of the immense impact that the logistics industry will create in the economy as well as formalising the informalities in the logistics sector to spur trade.”

A properly developed logistics sector, he said, will not only accelerate trade but also increase efficiencies while adding value across the economic value chain.

Uganda being a land locked country, Mr Meshack said, needs an efficient logistics industry that is capable of becoming a key determinant in the overall performance of the economy.

The logistics industry in Uganda continues to grow and it is considered as one of the backbones that can spur economic growth with properly planned investment.

According to sector estimates, at least 200,000 people are currently engaged in the logistics industry, whose capacity if well harnessed, can take in as many more people as possible.

According to policy experts, the success of logistics sector as whole is dependent on routinely attracting new and dynamic industry players.

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And for that, the entry of Sendy operations, a regional logistic platform, into the local market, should be greeted with applause, according to members of logistic fraternity, thanks to its modern approach to doing business.

With the use of technology, the Sendy’s logistics platform with already hundreds of trucks in the country is able to seamlessly connect these truck partners to businesses in Kampala and even beyond the borders with such convenience never thought of before.

Mr Charles Kareba, the Shippers Council of Uganda chairman, said new players in the logistics sector will help to bring down the cost of services that have been lacking as result of limited collaboration and inadequate use of artificial intelligence.

According to the executive director of African Economic Research Consortium Lemma Senbet, African countries such as Uganda must seek to improve market connections to allow uninterrupted business flow.

This, he said, must be supported through a well-developed logistics sector that is willing to compete through technology.

Mr Hussein Kiddedde, the Uganda Freight Forwarders Association chairman, said the logistics industry across the world is increasingly becoming IT based, which has eased trade and movement.