Page 14 - Logistics News - July August 2023

DECARBONISING

Decarbonising strategies for the

African transport and logistics sector

A recent webinar, hosted by DMG Events, organiser of Transport Evolution Africa, convened industry experts
and stakeholders to discuss the urgent need for decarbonising strategies in the African transport and
logistics sector.

he webinar shed light on the existing challenges and in place, such as the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) as
potential solutions to mitigate carbon emissions in well as the Green Transport Strategy. However, he noted the lack
Tthe industry. A key takeaway from the webinar was of concrete policies enabling the industry to transition effectively.
the apparent disconnect between transporters and transport Parry echoed the sentiment of a signalling mismatch between
buyers. The industry seemed more focused on reporting rather buyers’ green aspirations and transporters’ fleet operations,
than taking concrete actions to reduce emissions, creating a emphasising the necessity for further measures to facilitate the
mismatch in signals between transporters and users. Another adoption of greener options.
challenge is the slow pace of policy reforms and changes in
regulations to help bolster the adoption of decarbonisation Abdool Kamdar, Manager Decarbonisation and Net Zero at
strategies. KDG Logistics, raised concerns about the perceived higher costs
associated with greener alternatives. However, he pointed out
Ziad Hamoui, President of the Borderless Alliance that significant progress could be achieved by decarbonising the
organisation based in Ghana, raised concerns about the existing fleet. With the implementation of various technologies,
lack of alignment on national, regional and continental it is possible to reduce CO emissions by approximately 20
2
standards for decarbonisation. He emphasised the need percent within three to six months, yielding positive cash flow
for collaboration between countries to align their standards and improving profits by 20-30 percent. Abdool stressed the
and policies, particularly in two critical areas: infrastructure importance of transporters carefully evaluating and selecting
development and vehicle standards. Hamoui highlighted the most suitable technology for their specific context while
the importance of considering costs and available finance keeping transport costs low to foster economic growth. Notably,
to facilitate a smooth transition towards greener transport South Africa is deploying electric vehicle (EV) trucks at a scale
options. comparable to many developed countries.

Abiola Osho, Vice President of Investments at African Government support was identified as crucial in driving the
Finance Corporation, addressed the perspective of high-emitting transition towards decarbonisation. The webinar participants
industries and countries on decarbonisation strategies. He urged policymakers to reduce duties and introduce incentives
highlighted significant challenges related to productivity and to promote greater adoption of EVs. They also emphasised the
infrastructure, stressing the need for realistic targets that align need for localising the production chain of renewable energy and
with available financing. Osho called for holistic interventions battery technologies.
driven by leadership, including clear policy and regulations,
effective execution and transparent communication, and The webinar concluded with a call for continued
emphasised that meeting these targets would require an collaboration, dialogue and concerted efforts from stakeholders
estimated $2.5-trillion, which might take up to 200 years to across the transport and logistics sector in Africa to accelerate
realise. the development and implementation of effective decarbonising
strategies.
Eric Parry, Senior Manager Sustainable Solutions at Volvo,
who is also a member of the new energy committee for the Decarbonisation strategies and sustainability/ESG will be
National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South one of the key topics at this year’s Transport Evolution Africa
Africa (NAAMSA), acknowledged the positive initiatives already conference from 20-22 September at the Durban ICC. •

12 JULY/A U GU S T 2023 www .l o g ist i csn e w s .c o .z a