Ghana’s Logistics industry continues to suffer many setbacks largely because of the disorganized and fragmented nature of the industry. An industry dominated by large number of informal and unorganized trucks and truck owners.
With Logistics regarded as the backbone of the economy, providing efficient and cost effective flow of goods on which other commercial sectors depends on. The Ghanaian transportation industry is highly fragmented and poses several challenges with 80% of operators owning less than five trucks and most of them being lane specific.
The cost of freight transport in Ghana continuous to rise mainly due to the disorganized nature of the Logistics industry, the conditions of our roads continues to be a major challenge to truckers in Ghana, challenges with police and security men on the roads and cargo traffic imbalances. All these contributes to pushing the cost of freight high in Ghana and eventual increase in the cost of goods on our markets.
Ghana’s haulage and cargo industry needs complete restructuring away from the current disorganized, fragmented and chaotic nature of the industry to a more organized and coordinated system.
But the question still remains, how do create a coordinated system when you don’t even have a relevant and reliable data to work with in the system? I think the answer lies with technology and its ability to disrupt the Logistics industry of Ghana.
Despite the power technology posses in disrupting this industry and improving efficiency and productivity, adoption rates still remains very slow especially amongst informal players in the industry. The challenges with technology adoption mainly stems from the fact that many truck drivers are uneducated, unable to use many tech devices and internet.
Whilst the challenge may be daunting, companies like Truckers Ghana Limited is taking a very bold step to tackle this daunting challenge by aggregating informal trucks across Ghana, allowing Load owners to book trucks on their web portal www.ghanatruckers.com to transport their Loads across Ghana and the West African sub region. Ghana Truckers with their network of registered trucks is able to connect Load owners to nearest and available trucks across Ghana. Their system is obviously on the path to creating a well coordinated and centrally controlled Logistics industry amongst informal and uneducated truck drivers in Ghana.
Truckers Ghana Limited also providing truck management service is moving Ghana away from the system of individuals buying trucks and handing over truck to a driver, who mostly will make far more money at the expense of truck owner. With Truckers Ghana system, they are able to provide professional truck management services to truck owner with honesty, integrity, and reliability. This is music to the ears of truck owners and individuals who intend buying trucks to generate revenue for them.
With the right system put in place and policy support , Truckers Ghana Limited may be the solution to the chaotic road haulage and trucking industry of Ghana.
Challenges may abound, but people need to change in an industry which has not seen used technology since its inception is difficult, but remains our only option in our bid to completely restructure the Cargo and haulage industry of Ghana.
Writer
Issah Abdullai Gombilla
C.E.O- Truckers Ghana Limited
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0263139899/0501149133
