One beautiful thing about the African continent is that it still remains an untapped goldmine, ripe for a lot of business opportunities to flourish and one of it is logistics.
When it comes to logistics, according to prnewswire, “The Global Logistics Market was worth $10.32 billion in 2017 and it is estimated to grow to $12.68billion, by 2023, with a CAGR of 3.49%, between 2017 and 2023”.
Logistics is, basically, the movement of goods and services, between a provider and receiver, which is geared, towards connecting the flow of things, towards the requirements of customers.
This industry is very huge, with a whole lot of gaps to fill, in Africa.
Some of the major problems that have been affecting the growth of this industry in Africa, have to do with the inadequacy of infrastructures and the low usage of technology.
Technology, basically, makes things easier and makes the impossible, possible.
If it is being implemented in the right way and with other things falling in place, technology remains the surest way of improving logistics in Africa.
Technology is ensuring a drastic revolution, in the logistics industry, which in turn, has led to the boom of e-commerce in Africa.
Below are some technological tools that can revolutionize the logistics industry in Africa:
The Internet of Things
It has been estimated, by Cisco that, by 2020, more than 50 billion objects, will be connected to the internet, presenting a $1.9 trillion opportunity, for the logistics industry; a stark comparison, to the mere 5 billion objects, currently connected today.
It is high time that Africa taps into this, fully, as the IoT serves as that ferry that, can transport the logistic industry in Africa, to the next stage.
The IoT can be used in a lot of ways, from tempered package detection to supply-chain quality control, etc.
Drones
Drones have been under-utilized in Africa and this story needs to change.
Drones have got a whole lot of potentials and will serve well in some over-populated cities in Africa, where transportation of goods can be hindered by heavy traffic and poor infrastructure.
UPS is making headway here, as it has entered into a partnership, with Zipline, a medical drone delivery start-up, to start delivery in Africa.
Robots
Applying robotic technology in the logistic industry will not only ensure growth, but lots of money will be saved.
Robots are programmed to work and their work is always efficient, leaving little, or, no errors.
One major benefactor here, from the implementation of robotics, is the e-commerce center.
With thousands of customers purchasing diverse things, at the same time, a robot just needs 15 minutes, to complete a job that will take humans, 60 to 75 minutes, to complete.
Automation
This offers various solutions to the logistics industry in Africa.
Automation employs the use of data-driven software, to improve operational efficiency in the machine.
Automation, basically, makes things easy and fast, hence, Africa can, surely, tap into this.
You could also read up our ICT Clinic (Punch column) article on Logistics.
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