UMI moves to plug agro-trade supply chain gaps

KAMPALA - Through the North-South-South partnership involving Germany, South Africa and Uganda, the local logistics market is bound for a facelift as Uganda Management Institute (UMI) launches the digital logistics services and entrepreneurship program.

The change is set to avail improved standards and procedures that boost employment, post-harvest handling and e-commerce, where the latter has been influential towards the logistics market projected 4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) between 2025 and 2033, at a valuation of $8.07tn.

The Master’s Programme in Digital Logistics, which has already been approved by the National Council for Higher Education, will be running effective January 2026.

It’s been derived from the partnership between UMI, the University of Applied Sciences (HNU) in Germany and South Africa’s University of the Western Cape (UWC). Currently, the institute is finalising its capacity building works that include the training of trainers.

Professor James Njagi, from the University of the Western Cape, says that the similarity in challenges faced in the logistics industry and teaching brought the two institutions to a round table, and he cites gaps in the dominant agricultural industry.

“Agriculture is still the backbone of the economies in East and Central Africa, and that’s why we are focused on it. For Cape Town, the focus changes. We are looking at fast-moving consumer goods in supermarkets, and local delivery agents like Takealot,”Njagi explains.

He also confirms partnerships with research institutions in agriculture, but with interest in the logistical aspect. In it, they are taking note of key variables such as irrigation, temperature management, and storage monitoring.

According to the 2024 food waste index report by UNEP, 1.05 billion tonnes of food were wasted globally from retail, food services and households, amounting to 132 kg per capita per year.

As such, the program’s focus on agriculture targets solutions to food loss along production and supply chains.

Market Impression

Supply chain management and logistical distribution are prime targets for improvement, considering Uganda’s position as a landlocked country, albeit the respective needs in comparison to fast-moving markets like Djibouti and South Africa. Pross Oluka, Associate Professor of Procurement and Supply Chain Management at UMI, confirms that the practice-oriented program follows an undertaken needs assessment that will eventually address the challenges encountered by clients and provide solutions in turn.

The assessment is part of the 5-year journey that started with ideation in 2021.

“The entrepreneurship strand makes it possible for students to come up with solutions, acquire consultancies and sell off their innovations. It means that we shall host the students in incubation centres in order to grow their ideas,” says Oluka.

So far, five partners have been onboarded. They include National Medical Stores (NMS), Civil Aviation Authority, KCCA, Beyond Logistics Ltd, and Katosi fish landing site, where boat owners are likely to benefit from the digital fish monitoring application to address supply delays and revenue leakage.

The lack of prudent supply chains, including warehousing and process optimisation, plus cold chain infrastructure across industries with perishable products like crops and fisheries, has influenced higher post-harvest losses. Collectively, the contribution is estimated at 10%-20% GDP loss for Uganda and South Africa.

Professor Dany Meyer, from HNU, reveals that Germany’s support through the academic exchange program, DAAD, as reflected in the partnership between HNU, UMI and UWC, targets achievement of key sustainable development goals such as zero hunger and zero waste, which are equally reflected in the logistics industry.

Subsequently, the coalition anticipates outputting an improved grid of electronic logistical services, entrepreneurship and AI-powered solutions for IT support and management.