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The emerging economies of Africa and the Middle East are significant growth areas for the logistics industry due to three key factors:

Rapid economic development
Youthful and high population growth rates
Accelerated adoption of technology

Rapid economic development has a direct impact on the demand for goods. As economic activity increases, so too do incomes. High-growth populations that skew younger also have a direct impact on demand. Coupled with the accelerated adoption of technology, there is a broader expectation within the market of having easy access to goods.

In many emerging economies, reliable execution of delivery during the last mile is a challenge. Kwikpik is ideally positioned to be a key player and logistics solution provider in this new paradigm of the economy.

Logistics and delivery companies contribute to the economic growth of the countries within which they operate. They are also key elements of the inexorable rise of e-commerce and online purchasing.

What follows is an overview of key logistics service providers that operate in much of Africa and the Middle East.

1. DHL

DHL (Dalsey, Hillblom, and Lynn) is an international logistics company that has spread its wings across the border into Nigeria and other African countries. The company delivers within hundreds of African countries and is the most popular logistics company in Nigeria. Aside from within-country deliveries, DHL is well known for international deliveries as well. The likes of Aliexpress and Amazon, which is one of the biggest online stores in the world, use DHL to deliver to buyers in Nigeria.

2. GIG Logistics

Next on the list is GIG Logistics, the company was founded in 2012 to become the leading logistics company across Africa. GIG Logistics is well represented across all states in Nigeria with its HQ in Lagos Nigeria. To make getting along with the company easier, they launched an app called GIGGO App which is available on both Android and iOS platforms. The app provides users with seamless shipment creation from the comfort of their homes and offices, eliminating the need to endlessly wait at pickup locations for their items to be dispatched. Once a request is made, the app locates a delivery partner nearest to the request and allocates the delivery request for pickup.

3. FedEx (Federal Express)

In the third spot on our list of courier companies in Africa is Federal Express popularly known as FedEx. FedEx is not an indigenous African courier company but has massive appeal in the African market. The company is an international express and cargo distribution company with a presence in over 200 countries in the world including several African countries like Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, etc. FedEx is the darling of many e-commerce stores and users globally as it guarantees its customers and clients about a 1-3 day delivery time.

4. Aramex Logistics Company

Aramex is a UAE-based multinational courier and package delivery company operational since 1982. Aramex has grown rapidly to become a global brand, serving over 220 countries over the world. They currently provide comprehensive logistics and transportation solutions in Saudi Arabia, with a strong presence in other countries of the Middle East.

5. FODEL

Several start-ups are eyeing last-mile delivery as a way to cater to the growing requirements in the e-commerce industry. It is a vital section of the Middle East supply chain. FODEL is one such organization that recently raised $2.6 million in pre-Series A funding. This organization uses proprietary technology to build a click-and-collect network. At the moment, there are more than 1,000 pick-up locations across the UAE for FODEL. They have integrated with retailers such as JollyChic and Choithrams for their operations. According to the company's resources, there is last-mile delivery tracking in real-time for their parcels.

6. Al-Futtaim Logistics

Al-Futtaim Logistics is a leading integrated logistics and supply chain solutions provider headquartered in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. Established in the 1980s, Al-Futtaim Logistics is a leading regional provider of world-class supply chain solutions, with a global reach of 150 countries through its strategic alliance with global network partners.

With its full connectivity from strategically located state-of-the-art facilities at the region’s most important freight hubs, Al-Futtaim Logistics offers a full range of advanced end-to-end supply chain management solutions such as:

Global Freight Forwarding and local services
Warehousing and Contract Logistics
Local and Cross-Border Transportation and Distribution etc.

7. Glovo Kenya

Glovo is a courier service provider that does purchases, pick-ups, and deliveries of products upon order. It was originally a Barcelona-based delivery company but expanded to serve Europe, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. The firm offers grocery delivery, supermarket products delivery, and shopping for beauty and health products in addition to food delivery. Orders from Glovo are done through their mobile app. Glovo has currently partnered with Art Caffe, Naivas, Java, PizzaInn, ChickenInn, Galito’s, and CreamyInn to ensure their esteemed customers get fast and reliable food and product delivery.

8. Oak Express Limited

Oak Express Limited is another fascinating delivery company that specializes in the delivery of parcels, packages, and documents. However, this company is duly registered as a domestic courier company as well as a delivery company, enabling them to have a series of branches in most of the Ghanaian major cities and have their headquarters in Accra. The company is widely noted for its safe express delivery services as well as trucking from one location to another.

9. Jumia Logistics

Jumia Logistics is the leading e-commerce fulfillment and express delivery service in Africa. It seamlessly integrated hundreds of logistics partners - from individual entrepreneurs to large logistics providers - across Africa, offering sellers on our marketplace the benefits of a distributed and scalable logistics service and consumers more rapid access to the goods that they desire.

Industry Deficiencies

Does the presence of these established logistics and last-mile delivery companies solve the observed problems and the critical issues associated with logistics:

Outdated and inadequate technology
Theft, missing, and damaged goods
Inefficient, excessively manual processes
Lack of reliable track and trace functionality
High delivery costs
Inadequate payment and financial systems
Poor addressing systems

Global events such as climate change and COVID-19 have crystalized the importance and permanence of modern logistics in the global economic landscape.

Since COVID-19, data from Statista shows that the global logistics industry has seen nearly two folds in value with the TAM sitting at over EUR 10.4 trillion, with an increasing operations cost which is largely caused by the highlighted problems above.

Logistics is synergistic with virtually every other industry. Resolving these problems and challenges will ensure the further growth of the industries served while optimizing profit for all players.

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Top Logistics and Delivery Companies in Africa and the Middle East