Why trust and agility are vital components of Africa’s supply chain

Referring to research that she is currently involved in, she said trust has emerged as a strong theme among the research participants.  

“Something they all mention is that you can’t make this [collaboration] work without trust. There has to be trust within your value chain and your extended value chain.  

“If we think about what happened during Covid, there was panic buying and global disruptions. But one of the key things that made some companies successful is that, beyond the contracts they had, it was the trust and reputation that they had with their retailers, suppliers and customers.  

“It emphasises that even your fanciest systems or flashy ad campaigns are insufficient to achieve trust … it goes beyond that.” 

Nxumalo said that, as a child growing up in South Africa’s townships, one of the things that led the family to buy from a certain ‘spaza shop’ (informal convenience store) or informal trader was the trust that existed between them. 

“We had trust in them that they could deliver on the promises they made. This trust was not built on a once-off event … it was earned; it was built over time. 

She emphasised: “Supply chain has a strong role to play in making sure that delivery excellence corresponds with the promise that marketing has made to the customer. What a gorgeous relationship!” 

Supply chains must be extremely agile 

Nxumalo told delegates that supply chains must also be extremely agile to take advantage of what marketing and technology can bring to the table. 

Citing the example of Jumia, the African e-commerce platform, she explained that, at the time Covid hit and lockdowns ensued, Jumia had positioned itself as an online platform selling electronics. 

“But what marketing noticed was a shift in consumer needs. Jumia quickly adapted and responded to that need by switching from electronics to providing customer essentials. 

“It was not just a supply chain decision; it was marketing and supply chain. Marketing saw the shift in the pattern and supply chain made sure that its model supported the shift.” 

Nxumalo noted that, in general, e-commerce in Africa is evolving rapidly due to trends such as growing urbanisation and rising customer expectations around speed of delivery of their online purchases. 

“When people place orders online, they want the item yesterday. So, obviously, organisations must ensure they have the relevant supply chain and tech structures in place, and are using marketing insights to respond to important trends. The key insight here is agility. Without it, you simply cannot navigate these trends and drive customer value,” she said. 

Pan-African supply chain body 

The 2025 AMC Conference was attended by several African supply chain executives, with a view to forming a pan-African supply chain body along similar lines to the African Marketing Confederation. More details about the new organisation will be announced in due course. 

You can read more in-depth coverage of Thobekile Nxumalo’s presentation, as well as other 2025 AMC Conference presentations and activities, in the next issue (Issue 3 2025) of Strategic Marketing for Africa, the magazine of the African Marketing Confederation.