"We need to decarbonize logistics in ways that are in line with local infrastructure and financially viable for our markets and strengthen supply chains so they are more resilient and efficient, and better positioned to support inclusive economic growth," says Egidio Monteiro, CEO DHL Global Forwarding, Sub-Saharan Africa, in this exclusive interview with The Kenyan Wall Street.
TKWS: Despite strong growth, Sub-Saharan trade still faces bottlenecks, from port congestion to inconsistent border procedures. What are the biggest systemic barriers to seamless trade today, and how can the private sector work with governments to fix them?
E.M:
From my conversations with customers across the continent, three systemic barriers consistently stand out.
First, customs and border procedures remain one of the biggest brakes on seamless trade. Intra-African trade is still low compared with other regions, not because demand is lacking, but because moving goods across multiple borders remains overly complex and costly. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a game-changer in principle, but harmonized customs procedures, documentation, and standards are still unevenly implemented on the ground.
That is why initiatives such as the East African Community’s single customs territory and one-stop border posts matter. They demonstrate that when processes are digitized and simplified, clearance times fall and trade volumes expand.
We work closely with customers to understand what is technically and commercially possible today, quantify both the cost and emissions implications, and help them plan a credible pathway for reducing their logistics emissions over time.
-Egidio Monteiro, CEO DHL Global Forwarding, Sub-Saharan Africa
Second, infrastructure gaps remain acute. Across East, West, and Southern Africa, some ports and border posts are physically constrained, while others are underutilized due to fragmented planning and non-integrated systems. The continent needs connected economic corridors, rather than isolated assets. Ports, inland terminals, roads, and rail must function as a single, coordinated network, with predictable transit times and consistent service quality.
Third, visibility and data across trade lanes remain patchy. Too often, customers lack a single, end-to-end view of a shipment as it moves from factory to port to final destination. This absence of transparency makes it harder to plan inventory, trust schedules, and complicates access to trade finance. Where companies such as ours deploy digital platforms for tracking, documentation, and analytics, the gains in reliability and working capital efficiency are already evident.
TKWS: How can the private sector work with governments to fix them?
E.M.: Three areas of government-private sector collaboration can make a meaningful difference.
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Co-creating better border processes
Businesses can engage in structured public–private dialogue with customs authorities and corridor institutions, share granular data on bottlenecks and transit times, and support pilots for digital pre-clearance, risk-based inspections, and standardized documentation. In practice, this means working directly with port authorities, customs agencies, and regulators to design processes that meet both compliance and commercial needs.
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Investing in corridor solutions rather than point solutions
Instead of focusing solely on individual ports or border posts, the private sector can help develop end-to-end multimodal logistics solutions along priority trade routes. By combining ocean, air, road, and rail, these corridors can bypass chokepoints and strengthen resilience. When logistics providers and cargo owners commit volumes, capital, and expertise to new routings and inland hubs, they help make these solutions commercially viable and signal where further infrastructure investment should be directed.
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Scaling digital visibility and standardization
Companies can adopt shared digital platforms that provide a single source of truth for shipments, documentation, and performance, and, where possible, integrate them with port community or customs systems so data does not remain siloed. The greater the alignment on common data standards, the easier it becomes to manage corridors as integrated, end-to-end systems rather than fragmented nodes.
For me, building a seamless African supply chain is about enhancing the competitiveness of African businesses. If we reduce friction at borders, focus infrastructure investment on the most critical corridors, and give customers true end-to-end visibility, we can unlock a very different scale of trade, both within and between Africa, and the rest of the world.
TKWS: What does sustainability look like in the African logistics context, and where do you see the biggest opportunities to reduce emissions?
E.M:
We need to decarbonize logistics in ways that are in line with local infrastructure and financially viable for our markets. Second, we need to strengthen supply chains so they are more resilient and efficient, and better positioned to support inclusive economic growth.
Globally, DHL Group aims to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, supported by clear interim targets for 2030. In many African markets, the pathway to that goal will naturally differ from Europe or North America, but the underlying core levers remain the same: greater use of sustainable energy where available, smarter network design, and more effective use of data to reduce waste and improve planning.
In the short to medium term, the biggest emissions-reduction opportunities in African logistics lie in how networks are designed and operated, rather than in any single breakthrough technology. These include:
• Network and load optimization
Improved route planning, shipment consolidation, and the reduction of empty runs can simultaneously lower cost and emissions. Many African trade lanes still suffer from directional imbalances, with export-heavy flows in one direction and import-heavy flows in the other. When logistics providers and customers synchronize flows and improve asset utilization, they reduce kilometres per tonne moved, often the quickest and most cost-effective emissions lever available.
• Shifting to lower-carbon modes where feasible
Where suitable infrastructure exists, moving freight from road to rail or coastal shipping can significantly reduce emissions per tonne-kilometre. In several Southern and East African corridors, there is clear potential to scale multimodal solutions that combine ocean, rail, and road while maintaining reliable transit times.
• Using sustainable fuels in aviation and ocean freight
For long-distance transport, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Sustainable Maritime Fuels are becoming increasingly available. GoGreen Plus is one example of how DHL supports customers in adopting these options. This is particularly relevant for African exporters serving carbon-sensitive markets such as the European Union, where Scope 3 emissions management and regulatory compliance are growing priorities.
Over the longer term, as energy systems across the continent continue to decarbonize and infrastructure improves, we expect broader adoption of electric and alternative-fuel vehicles for road transport, alongside logistics facilities increasingly powered by renewable energy. DHL Group is already investing globally in renewable energy and more efficient buildings, and lower-emission fleets, and these standards are progressively being embedded across our African operations.
We work closely with customers to understand what is technically and commercially possible today, quantify both the cost and emissions implications, and help them plan a credible pathway for reducing their logistics emissions over time. That’s how we translate the Group’s 2050 net-zero ambition into practical, on-the-ground action across the continent.
