M. Addy-Asare, R. Nkubito, B. Lô, S. Sulyman: Logistics, the Rails for Commerce l Africa/Week 2025

Quick Overview

The panel discussion at Norrsken Africa/Week 2025 focused on overcoming logistical and operational challenges in African commerce, particularly highlighting the need for better intra-African trade infrastructure, digitalization, and tailored solutions for local markets rather than relying solely on Western models.

Key Points: Intra-African trade currently accounts for only 16% of Africa's total trade, indicating a massive opportunity for growth. The panel discussed the necessity of building infrastructure, such as integrated logistics platforms, to facilitate cross-border trade across the continent. Digitalization and creating standardized, user-friendly tools (like digital customs/compliance systems) are key to unlocking this trade potential. The speaker from Tallstack, who specializes in talent management software, noted that their business is now exporting services to the US and that they are actively hiring. Roger Nkubito of Agil highlighted that their company manages customs and logistics across 49 African countries and operates 23 sea ports, emphasizing the scale of pan-African logistics. The importance of financing for SMEs and ensuring that financial products are tailored to local realities (e.g., 90-day payment cycles for farmers) was stressed. A recurring theme was the need to move away from relying on Western models and focus on building African-centric solutions for problems like cold chain logistics and customs.

Context: This segment features a panel discussion from the Norrsken Africa/Week 2025 event, involving several key figures in African logistics, e-commerce, and finance: M. Addy-Asare (DigitalStack), Roger Nkubito (AGL), B. Lô (Pubs/Bamba), and S. Sulyman (Jetstream). The discussion centers on the significant challenges and opportunities within African logistics and commerce, particularly focusing on improving intra-African trade, overcoming infrastructural deficits, and leveraging technology to create scalable, localized solutions.

Detailed Analysis