South Africa’s logistics performance is often lauded for having the highest trade logistics performance in Africa. However, the country’s logistics landscape reflects signs of strain. To address the issue, development of a series of indicators for sustainable logistics performance is detailed in a new position paper published by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Managing the transportation and storage of tonnes of goods is a sophisticated affair. The paper provides an all-inclusive breakdown of the measurement of the country’s logistics performance. Penned by a principal researcher at the CSIR, Dr Isabel Meyer, it details the proposed development of a comprehensive indicator framework that can fulfil multiple functions for systemic improvement of logistics performance.

Knowing the potential limitations, constraints and capabilities within the South African logistics ecosystem is critical. Scant information on logistics performance is available in South Africa but it does not provide an integrated view of current and expected future systemic performance. Increasingly, logistics system users have highlighted the operational and financial impacts of a system under pressure. To overcome this challenge, a national framework of indicators is proposed to facilitate comprehensive reporting on the performance of the logistics system from a retrospective, concurrent and prospective vantage point and at different levels of decision-making.

Meyer, supported by the CSIR’s impact area manager of transport systems operations, Dr Mathetha Mokonyama, says: “South Africa’s logistics system is a key driver of economic growth and an indication of economic health. This position paper reflects on the attributes of indicators currently used to report on logistics performance in South Africa, proposes that it be modified to meet local complexities and has the buy-in from key stakeholders.”

The paper proposes the development of logistics performance indicators to guide decision-making and improvement efforts, build trust in systemic performance and gain acceptance among local and international stakeholders. It includes a conceptual framework that illustrates indicators for systemic change and a series of recommendations. These are supplemented with an outline of a comprehensive set of context-specific indicators to be developed in collaboration with stakeholders and applied in multitudinous ways to achieve the necessary outcomes. Meyer remains confident that the proposed uptake of indicators for systemic change can provide a basis from which to guide decision-making towards the resolution of logistical challenges and enable investment in the country’s logistics sector.

While the paper also refers to current indicators that report on the country’s logistics performance at national and sector levels, it is clear that this multi-actor logistics system must be agile and responsive to changing needs and that diverse perspectives on the performance of its logistics system are necessary.