Logistics
Logistics is the sector concerned with the planning, implementation and control of the efficient movement and storage of goods, services and information from point of origin to point of consumption. The industry encompasses transportation, warehousing, inventory management, materials handling, packaging, supply chain coordination and distribution network design. Logistics activities span multiple modes of transport including road freight, rail, maritime shipping, air cargo and intermodal operations. The sector plays a critical role in manufacturing, mining, agriculture, retail and e-commerce by ensuring that raw materials, components and finished products reach their destinations on time and in good condition. Key players include third-party logistics providers, freight forwarders, courier services, port operators and integrated supply chain specialists. In Africa, logistics faces particular challenges including infrastructure deficits, border delays, regulatory complexity and the need to serve dispersed markets across vast distances. Technology adoption is transforming the industry through warehouse automation, fleet telematics, route optimisation software and digital freight platforms. The sector is a significant employer and contributor to GDP in most economies, with performance directly affecting trade competitiveness and the cost of doing business. Logistics efficiency is measured by metrics such as on-time delivery rates, inventory turnover, transport costs as a percentage of sales and order fulfilment cycle times. Environmental concerns are driving interest in green logistics practices including fuel-efficient vehicles, route consolidation and reverse logistics for product returns and recycling.
Logistics Updates
Minerals Council welcomes fiscal progress, calls for accelerated structural reforms
By: Martin Creamer 21st October 2026 The Minerals Council South Africa welcomes the commitment in the 2026 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) to fiscal sustainability and... →
SA: Paul Mashatile: Address by Deputy President, on the occasion of the Limpopo Investment Conference 2026, at The Ranch Resort, Polokwane (15/10/2026)
16th October 2026 We meet in a province whose history is deeply rooted in trade, innovation and enterprise. Centuries ago, the Kingdom of Mapungubwe was a thriving... →
Africa’s next growth chapter starts with capital closer to home
9th October 2026 Africa enters the FT Africa Summit this year facing a familiar question in unfamiliar circumstances. How does the continent finance growth when... →
Integration: World-Class Trade Logistics Along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor
29th September 2026 The Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor (TCTC), also known as the Middle Corridor, is a developing network of rail freight, maritime shipping, and... →
BLSA CEO calls for confidence, investment to improve GDP growth
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 14th September 2026 South Africa’s economy contracted by 0.2% in the second quarter, with trade, manufacturing and mining all shrinking. These figures underscore the... →
Businesses not yet feeling the effect of reforms, as confidence drops – BLSA 
By: Schalk Burger 7th September 2026 Businesses are unfortunately not yet feeling the impact of structural reforms on the ground, with felt progress important in the move toward a new... →
South African exporters now able to pursue markets together under new policy – dtic
By: Schalk Burger 2nd September 2026 South African exporters must collaborate to pursue international markets under the Block Exemption for Promotion of Exports, which provides for... →
Brazil deal underscores need to strengthen country’s trade agreements – BLSA
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 31st August 2026 The announcement last week that South Africa had reaffirmed its strategic partnership with Brazil, with ambitions to deepen economic ties, was... →
The Presidency on launch of Phase 3 of Government Business Partnership for Growth and Jobs
21st August 2026 Phase 3 is focused on urgently addressing the societal crisis of low growth and unemployment. It adds additional sectors to the partnership... →
Intelligent Industrial Ecosystems: Turning Proximity into Intelligence
18th August 2026 In the European Union alone, around 80% of industrial data remains unused, limiting competitiveness, resilience and sustainability – a pattern... →
