Leading international express and logistics company, DHL Express, considers East Africa and particularly Uganda, a key region for growth within Sub-Saharan Africa. These were the words of Charles Brewer, Managing Director of DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), who is in Kampala to meet with key role players, customers and media.
“Investment in our network capabilities still remains a core focus for DHL in Africa, with a number of fleet and facility upgrades scheduled for 2015, including upgrades to our Kampala facility. We have also increased our retail footprint to about 100 outlets which increases accessibility to global markets. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecasted a GDP growth of 5.4% for Uganda in 2015 and we are looking forward to capitalizing on that growth.”
“We see SMEs as the engine for growth in Uganda and SSA as whole, therefore providing easy access to the global market is key for us. DHL’s own research, conducted with IHS Global Insight, has shown that SMEs who trade internationally are twice as successful as those who trade only within their own market. We are also embarking on an SSA wide SME training program to enable businesses to expand internationally – this will cover everything from basic finance principles, to marketing and logistics,” said Brewer.
Brewer points to the importance of having engaged employees in their organization. “Our people are at the very core of our business and we are only able to provide great service quality and retail loyal customers if we have motivated people. We have an award winning learning and development program called Certified International Specialist (CIS) which has been central to our staff retention and development globally. The caliber of human talent available on the African continent is extraordinary, and when managed and developed correctly, it can drive innovation, productivity and bottom-line performance.”
“As the market leader, we will continue to invest in our people, equipment and facilities to ensure that we continue to exceed the demands of our customers. As the first and largest express logistics company in Africa, we are well-positioned to service the growth of Uganda, ensuring its viability and attractiveness on a global scale,” concludes Fatma Abubakar, Country Manager for Uganda.
