On the 22nd of April delegates from all four corners of the globe came together to attend the highly anticipated Africa Forum. The annual event, which is now in its 17th year, was hosted by CILT Zimbabwe in Victoria Falls and attracted over 200 delegates, providing a space for an amazing two days of learning, knowledge sharing, networking and collaboration.
With representatives from Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and United Kingdom, the event also provided an update on transport, logistics and supply chain developments across many countries and allowed our delegates to make many useful contacts for the future.
Our Women in Logistics and Transport (WiLAT) and Next Generation forums made a strong impact, jointly hosting a half-day session on the 2nd day of the event, with WiLAT demonstrating how women and new entrants are strengthening and future proofing the sector. The whole proceedings of the two days showed the focus on cross-border and cross-discipline collaboration which puts the African transport, logistics and supply chain landscape in a strong position for future success.
Speaking at the event, CILT International President, Chief Teete OWUSU-NORTEY FCILT remarked:
This year we had nine African countries present for this year’s Africa Forum. We all came by one transport mode or the other and we will all go back to our respective countries by transport. Many of you saw the bottlenecks and challenges our transport sector faces in the continent and it must be a concern to us all. Every single person from Africa herein at this year’s Africa Forum constitute the continent’s foremost wealth. Our continent’s potential can be unlocked through its people and that is you. It will take a drastic level of our transformed mind, new skillset and capacities that will serve as pivot in unlocking the wealth of our transport and logistics sector.
Honorary Secretary of the International Council of Trustees, Jennie Martin MBE FCILT also echoed our International President’s sentiments after having attended Africa Forum for the first time.
“Being part of the UK delegation, supporting International President Chief Teete OWUSU-NORTEY FCILT, and meeting so many new African colleagues over the two days, was an absolute pleasure as well as very useful. I will use my three-year term on the Council of Trustees to work towards greater integration of all our Branches and Territories with one another and with the CILT International HQ in the UK, and the Africa Forum gave me a good platform to start off from.”
Chairperson for CILT Zimbabwe, Mazi Banana FCILT, commented:
The 17th edition of the Africa Forum conference emphasised the need to provide practical solutions and recognise logistics, transport and supply chain as an important pillar in Africa’s socioeconomic development agenda.
Professional Development
Africa Forum serves as more than just a conference; it’s a catalyst for educational advancement and professional development in the field of logistics, transport and supply chain. By fostering knowledge exchange, networking opportunities, exposure to innovation, collaboration and access to educational resources, the event laid the groundwork for continuous development in education across these sectors.
Speaking with the CILT International Secretariat Education team, their presence at the 17th Africa Forum was highly welcomed and gave an opportunity to discuss the International education proposition. Ruth Francis, Education Strategy Lead, said:
Firstly, I would like to thank the organising committee at CILT Zimbabwe for their many hours, days and months in crafting and setting up the Forum – the end result was a triumph. As part of the Secretariat, we work hard to make sure we are as involved with our branches and members as we can be, but even in the era of Zoom calling, this can still be a challenge. The annual Africa Forum provides a unique opportunity for face-to-face interactions, relationship building, and in-depth discussions. The transparency, passion and endeavours of our African CILT family are truly appreciated and they can rest assured that the Secretariat will be working diligently over the coming months to follow up on our meaningful conversations at the Forum and support in every way we can. I feel blessed to attend such CILT events, and to be part of a network like ours. We are indeed stronger together.
In support of Ruth’s comments, Zoe Roberts, International Education Services & Development Manager, said:
The Forum was well laid out and the programme was full of detailed and informative seminars with professional speakers. It was great to see a packed room full of delegates from all over Africa dedicated to learning and improving within the sector of logistics, transport and supply chain. Credit is given to CILT Zimbabwe for hosting an excellent Africa Forum and I am looking forward to the 18th Annual Forum being held in Mauritius in 2025.
Zoe was also the proud recipient of an award commemorating her 10-year anniversary with CILT International, presented at the dinner and awards night on the third day of the event.
Looking ahead
With the annual Africa Forum now concluded until next year, we look forward to the remainder of 2024 with a sense of inspiration and optimism for the future of our developing industries across the African landscape. Together, as a community we can continue to drive forward the power of unity, innovation and collaboration to drive meaningful change to our industries, whilst helping to support the future and next generation of our logistics, transport and supply chain professionals. Congratulations to the team at CILT Zimbabwe on such a successful event and thank you to our delegates and wider community for joining us.
Join us in 2025 for the 18th annual Africa Forum, held in Mauritius. Stay tuned for further event updates and information in the coming months.
View the full gallery from the 2024 Africa Forum.
