Online Reporter
Malven Mugadzikwa
Herald Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN logistics technology start-up AfroFleet, which was launched Friday, has shifted its focus to onboarding transport operators and cargo owners as it positions itself to modernise freight movement across Southern Africa.
The locally developed digital freight marketplace aims to improve efficiency in road transport by linking verified cargo owners with transport operators on a single platform, reducing empty return trips, streamlining cross-border documentation and supporting implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
AfroFleet founder and chief executive officer Mr Chris Kateera said the platform was designed to address long-standing inefficiencies that continue to undermine regional trade and increase the cost of doing business.
“Every empty kilometre, every three-day queue at Beitbridge and every load without a truck adds to the price of bread in Mbare and a tile in Borrowdale. When logistics is broken, trade is broken and when trade is broken, growth is broken,” he said.
Mr Kateera said the company’s immediate priority was to build a trusted digital ecosystem for transporters and cargo owners before expanding along the North-South, Beira, Chirundu and Trans-Kalahari corridors.
“To every load carrier, we promise to keep your trucks profitably on the road. Not idle. Not empty. Not waiting on a broker. Profitably moving,” he said, adding that the platform would provide secure, reliable transport services for cargo owners through digital contracts, live tracking and verified documentation.
Speaking at the launch, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services Dr Beaullah Chirume said AfroFleet demonstrated Zimbabwe’s growing capacity to produce world-class digital solutions aligned with Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
“The future of freight is digital. The future of supply chain management is digital. And the future of transport services is digital,” she said.
Dr Chirume challenged transport operators to embrace digital platforms, saying Government, innovators, investors and industry should work together to accelerate digital transformation. She encouraged the AfroFleet team to scale beyond Zimbabwe.
AfroFleet is a mobile-first operating system for African road freight, connecting Load Owners — the manufacturers, agri-businesses, retailers and traders that feed and supply the region with Load Carriers, the transport companies and independent truck owners that move them. Instead of WhatsApp groups, paper waybills and phone-a-broker networks, both sides come together on one verified digital platform.
The initiative has also attracted strategic partners with corporates such as Redan Flexi App, Champions Insurance, Cartrack Zimbabwe and Ecobank pledging to support the platform as it expands across Africa.
Bongani Ndlovu