Most of the software freight companies use was designed far away from the port where it is used. That is not a criticism of the people who built it. It is the reason so many forwarders in Africa still run on spreadsheets, paper and chat messages, years after buying a system.
I think that is about to change, and the people who change it will not be the ones you expect.
Why so much freight still runs on paper
Ask a traditional forwarder why the team still keeps an Excel sheet next to the official system, and you usually hear one of three answers:
- "The system doesn't do it the way we do it." It assumes a process that does not match how customs, ports or clients really behave here.
- "It's too expensive to change." Every adjustment needs a consultant, a quote in dollars and a wait.
- "Nobody trusts it." It was installed, not adopted. The staff were never asked how the work really moves.
So the system becomes an expensive filing cabinet, and the real work moves back into spreadsheets and WhatsApp. That is where the money leaks, because that is where nobody can see it.
What knowing the trade adds
Software built from the inside knows things that are hard to explain to an outsider. A few examples from Nigerian freight:
| Inside knowledge | Why software needs it |
|---|---|
| Port charges and demurrage run on clocks that start on different days and belong to different companies | A system that tracks one "free time" date gives the wrong answer, and a wrong answer costs real money every day |
| The VAT on an import is charged on a base that already includes other duties and levies | A landed cost that leaves this out looks cheaper than reality, and the importer's margin disappears |
| A forwarder pays duty, terminal and shipping charges first and is paid weeks later | The system must show cash tied up per job, not only profit, or a busy company can run out of money |
| Purchase orders from large clients often arrive after the work is done | Approvals and invoicing have to allow for it, or every job looks overdue |
| One job can be paid in naira, dollars and euros at once | Currency has to be part of every line, not an afterthought |
None of this is secret. But you only learn it by doing the work, usually by losing money once.
What has changed: who can build
Until recently, there were two kinds of people. People who understood freight and could not build software, and people who could build software and did not understand freight. Every system was a translation between the two, and something was always lost in translation.
AI coding tools change that. A person who understands the trade deeply, and can describe exactly how the work should flow, can now build working software by directing an AI assistant, testing every step, and having the code reviewed. I know because I am doing it: free public tools first, then a digital approval system now in use, and now a full freight ERP in testing.
This does not mean anyone can build anything overnight. It means the hardest part of building good freight software, knowing what it should do, now sits with the people who already know.
The risks are real, so take them seriously
Building faster brings new duties:
- Security. Business systems hold money, client data and staff records. They must be reviewed by people who know security, not just tested by the person who built them.
- Testing with real people. A screen that makes sense to its builder may confuse a new staff member. Test with the people who will use it every day.
- Honesty about results. A system is not a success because it was built. It is a success when it saves time or money that you can measure.
What forwarders can do now, even without new software
You do not need to build anything to start. The steps that make any system work are the same ones that make a business work:
1. Write down how work really moves, department by department. Not how it is supposed to move. How it actually does.
2. Standardise the things that repeat. One way to write a port, one quote format, one list of charges.
3. Find the gap between two departments that costs the most and fix that one first.
4. Only then choose the tool, whether you buy it, build it or adapt what you already have.
A business that has done these four things will get value from almost any system. A business that skips them will waste money on the best system in the world.
The opportunity
Africa's trade is growing, and with it the number of shipments, forwarders and regulations. The companies that move goods across this continent deserve software that understands how it really works here. I believe the best of that software will come from people who have stood at a port gate waiting for a release, and decided to fix the reason they were waiting.
If you are building, or want to, I would like to hear from you. Write to me, see what I am building, or try the free tools that started it all.