For detailed information about road disruptions in Africa, please follow the reports of Bolloré and Logistic Cluster, which give the detailed situation country by country all over the world. Bolloré Logistics report; World Food Programme report; Logistics Cluster report.
For a selected summary download the file here.
Europe
Traffic remains much more fluid inside the EU countries in order to transport cargo; however, border controls are effective in many countries and long queues are reported, especially between central European countries. Waiting time can be up to 2–3 hours to cross a border. Borders between Germany and Switzerland, and Slovenia and Austria, continue to report queues and delays. There are still delays at borders from Hungary to Romania, and Bulgaria to Serbia.
Sixfold provides an excellent tool to check live information on queues at EU borders.
UTruckIT app allows agricultural companies to find haulage solutions for the Nigerian market
A Nigerian company based in Lagos, a member of the Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers and Exporters Association of Nigeria (AFGEAN), offers an excellent solution to Nigerian agro-logistics. The application is a “matchmaker” for couriers and carriers that connects Nigerian agribusiness companies with customer-reviewed transport companies that can move almost anything and everything. It is the “Uber” for the haulage industry. The UTruckIT app offers live tracking of agricultural cargo, so the customer is informed at all times where the cargo is located. The drivers and trucks go through a rigorous selection process, and in the event that the customer’s cargo is not delivered, UTruckIT also provides insurance cover. The company is the winner of the United Nations World Summit Awards in the category of Smart Settlements & Urbanization for its innovative app in 2018. It could be an excellent partner for AFGEAN producers, affirms Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, founder of the professional organisation, in order to solve logistics problems and find better prices. TRUCKIT CEO and founder Mr Tom Roberts has more than 25 years of experience in international logistics and supply chain management. More information about the company can be found at http://truckitng.com/.
SADC approves new cross-border rules
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has approved a set of revised guidelines for cross-border transporters (The Southern Times, 26 June). The Revised Regional Guidelines and Harmonisation and Facilitation of Cross Border Transport Operations across the Region, and Regional Standard Operating Procedures for the Management and Monitoring of Cross Border Road Transport at Designated Points of Entry and Covid-19 Checkpoints, were agreed at a virtual Extraordinary Council of Ministers meeting on 23 June. An initial set of guidelines was approved on 6 April, and the Council of Ministers has updated these to factor in lessons learnt since then. The revised guidelines aim to structure smooth and harmonised processing of COVID-19 regulations by Member States for purposes of promotion of safe trade and transport. The updated regulations will also facilitate implementation of the SMART corridor trip monitoring system for management of cross-border movements, which will bolster driver wellness, vehicle tracking, contact tracing and queue management.