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Go Girl eyes SA's growing freight, logistics market

Samuel Mungadze
By Samuel Mungadze, Africa editor
Johannesburg, 02 Aug 2022
Siphokazi Matsha, founder and chief executive of Go Girl Logistics.
Siphokazi Matsha, founder and chief executive of Go Girl Logistics.

As SA celebrates Women’s Month, tech entrepreneur Siphokazi Matsha wants to make her mark in the logistics sector, as her way of encouraging young women to participate in the growing digital economy.

Matsha, founder and chief executive of logistics company Go Girl Logistics, says the logistics industry has become one of the key catalysts to the expanding digital economy, as more companies adapt to technological advancements to provide better services.

Latest research on the sector says the local freight and logistics market is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 4% from this year to 2027.

In an interview with ITWeb, Matsha says with the growth of the sector, she wants to empower women through hiring female talent, as well as providing them with skills.

“There is still a huge gap that we need to fill. We have a strong voice and we are educated and smart. We don’t want handouts, but to be given opportunities to make our impact in any industry.

“We are 100% black female owned and our mandate is to empower women within the sector through the hiring, training and leadership of women, which is extremely important because women have previously been stereotyped as belonging in administrative roles or home executives.”

A recent study commissioned by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency says SA’s logistics sector presents a significant opportunity for digital skills development and knowledge transfer regarding the benefits of technologies across the logistics sector.

The Johannesburg-based Matsha says the local freight and logistics market experienced a massive shift in the last 18 months in the wake of COVID-19, forcing companies to think laterally, with the adoption of technology as an enabler of development in the sector.

“In the present day, tech is probably the biggest enabler for economic development. For example, it makes everything much more effective. We have seen the effects on our logistics industry, whereby we are able to work faster, making it easier for us and our customers as well. We are also able to handle large amounts of work that can be processed easily using the tech innovations.

“With the hit of COVID-19, there had to be a way in which we could still continue doing our work in a contactless world. In a way, COVID became a push factor for us to think outside the box and ensure we can still deliver.

“So we started integrating digital ways to conduct business with the traditional ones. It makes us a cut above the rest because we are able to deliver at a faster turnaround to the client's satisfaction.”

Matsha believes young tech entrepreneurs need to scout across industries, including the logistics sector, for opportunities.

“Young ICT enthusiasts need to add more passion into their work by changing various industries around them. If there is a gap in any industry, they can chip in more to offer innovative solutions.”

Commenting on the current status of the start-up scene in Africa, Matsha says: “It is slowly growing and we have a wave of young people that are taking the bull by its horns and running with the available opportunities.

“More still needs to be done for us to reach the level where other advanced countries are already, which means other stakeholders still need to come in with ways to make more young people get into the tech space and continue being innovative.”

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