Modern Mining February 2022

EXPERT VIEW

Why 2022 could be a watershed year for logistics in Africa By Amadou Diallo, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Middle East & Africa

Over the past two years, the logistics and supply chain industry has been subjected to the Covid-19 ‘stress test’. Grappling with the worst pandemic in modern history, border closures, and lock- downs, logistics heroes went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure critical shipments of personal protective equipment (PPE), medical supplies, food, and vaccines reached communities around the world.

A s we kick off 2022, the pandemic continues to impact the globe, with more countries imple- menting new rounds of regional lockdowns as new virus mutations are reported. Despite these challenges, DHL’s Global Connectedness Index found that trade in goods has surged to well above pre-pandemic levels, powerfully supporting the global recovery even as capacity challenges and trade tensions persist.

One of the biggest carbon-offenders along the e-commerce supply chain is transportation: accord- ing to Boston Consulting Group, transport-related activities account for 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions. To counter this, the adoption of green vehicles is becoming more widespread, with several African governments and the private sector embracing e-mobility. Kenya and Ethiopia have also expressed interest in incentivising electric vehicle (EV) uptake. The increased use of electric vehicle solutions in Africa is a timely initiative to decarbonise trans- port and improve air quality in African cities. Private companies are also driving progress by introduc- ing EV production targets, with logistics companies and ride-sharing services converting fleets to EVs.

The pandemic also revealed longstand- ing vulnerabilities that demand attention as we enter 2022. Supply chain sustainability reaches African shores A key buzzword within our 2021 logistics and delivery trends predictions, sustain-

In the first half of 2021, investments in autonomous trucking companies reached $5.6-billion.

ability will still feature heavily in 2022. Consumers are increasingly expecting brands to be environmentally responsible – from their sustain- able packaging to their emissions – and businesses are waking up to the financial benefits of reducing waste along their supply chains.

Consequently, DHL aims to elec- trify 60% of its last-mile deliveries and have 80 000 e-vehicles on the road by 2030, as part of a group-wide tar- get to reduce all logistics emissions to net-zero by 2050. In August 2021, DHL made avia- tion history by ordering 12 ful ly electric Alice eCargo planes from air- craft manufacturer Eviation. This year, DHL Global Forwarding started offering sustainable marine fuel for LCL and FCL shipments. Be it sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in air freight, Bio-LNG and electric

34  MODERN MINING  February 2022