Africa is increasingly becoming a real-world testing ground for supply chain innovation, particularly in road freight. As consumer markets grow, new trade corridors come online and cross-border integration gains momentum, operators are quickly moving past legacy systems in favour of digital platforms, smarter compliance tools and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven visibility. The demands of operating across multiple borders and infrastructure networks mean technology has to work hard in Africa, but more importantly, work fast. It's why venture-backed startups are choosing to pilot new solutions on African routes first, where agility, live data and seamless coordination between carriers, ports, rail and border authorities are essential. Rather than simply importing global models, the continent is developing tools built for its own realities and increasingly setting the tone for what modern, resilient transport technology looks like. It's what Quinton Botha, strategic partnership lead at CtrlFleet, believes is the case. "We are well connected in the technology eco environment across Africa and are seeing developments across the continent all the time. "Our transport management system is constantly evolving based on feedback from southern and northern African road carriers. "Within the themes of operations and risk, visibility has become a must for carriers to maintain SLAs and remain competitive, as AI and various digital tools are being adopted in a historically paper-based industry." The company is currently developing an HSE risk and compliance solution tailored for road carriers in northern Africa, further underscoring the growing demand for technology that supports safer, more transparent and compliant cross-border operations. "When it comes to Africa, infrastructure remains at the forefront," said Botha. "Ensuring borders, ports and rail support road operations to run efficiently and without delays is critical. East Africa's fast-growing population, in particular, will require increasingly streamlined and resilient supply chains." But, he said, infrastructure alone was not enough. "These elements are all interconnected - ports, borders, rail and road operations - so the focus cannot simply be on increasing capacity. Equal attention must be given to how organisations communicate and modes integrate with one another." He added that the continued uptake of digital solutions would be essential to achieving that level of synchronisation. "Digitalisation and AI adoption will drive sustainability and enable true regional and multimodal integration across the continent." Looking ahead, Botha said, infrastructure projects across the continent would continue to shape the freight landscape. Throughout the SADC region, new port and corridor developments are set to fuel growing demand for supply chain services, while strong population growth in East Africa is expected to create significant opportunities for food and retail logistics. LV