A prerequisite to economic development is access to technology as well as the capability to use it. While infrastructure growth in certain areas of the world seems slow, it appears that the demand for and access to mobile phones are drastically increasing.
The November 2013 edition of the Ericsson Mobility report notes that, globally, mobile subscriptions have grown by about 7% during the third quarter of 2013. It adds that “the number of mobile broadband subscriptions grew even faster over this period – at a rate of 40 percent year-on-year, exceeding 2 billion in 2013.”
The report indicates that Africa boasts about 25-million new mobile subscriptions for the third quarter of 2013. It further predicts that 80% of Middle East and African subscriptions are 2G in 2013 and that the same number will be 3G/4G in 2019.
So what does this mean for the African Logistics industry? Increased connectivity and easier access to products and services. In addition, access to mobile devices and the internet helps people become aware of services available to them as well as education programmes, training and employment.
Africa has seen a drastic increase in the availability of logistics infrastructure owing to the recent resource boom experienced by the continent. This is excellent for the logistics industry which can help companies’ increase their reach across Africa and assist in building the continent through service delivery and partnerships.
Further, logistics services such as fleet management, courier, warehousing and logistics software are more manageable and affordable when the lines of communication are already available. Owing to the increase in mobile users an increase in demand for adequate internet services will result, thereby assisting Africans in connecting with the developed world and demanding an increase in living conditions,.
Overall, this holds great opportunities not only for the logistics industry, but for every single industry, as it equals global growth.