Top logistics articles on Stears Business

For today’s compilation on the Stears Library, we have focused on the movement of people and goods. 

From deliveries within the country to flying across the globe, moving things around has become like breathing in today’s world. 

However, in Nigeria, it can be a daunting task. 

In some of today’s stories, we show why handling the logistics of goods or people is challenging. In other pieces, we highlight how businesses are navigating the challenge to stay afloat. We wrote these articles to help people understand the economy and society around them and hopefully inspire solutions to some of the problems we face. 

Our first piece is central to every business, family or firm. It highlights the importance of well-labelled locations. Without a standard address system in the country, how do you even find where you are going?

1. Logistics: why sending stuff across Nigeria is difficult

Believe us when we say some of Nigeria’s challenges inspire our readers. This story highlighted the difficulty of moving and sending things across the country—just as the title implies. Interestingly, after we published it, it birthed the idea of building a consumer to consumer logistics market place over a functioning transport system. We hope it comes to fruition and aids other solutions (discussed in the story) currently in the works.

Read the full article here: Logistics: why sending stuff across Nigeria is difficult

2. E-commerce in Nigeria: The offline story of tricky logistics

The mind automatically thinks of the internet as the core necessity when it comes to e-commerce. It’s normal. The word tricks even the most experienced entrepreneurs into speaking or benchmarking the potential successes of e-commerce businesses with the World Wide Web or high mobile phone penetration. These factors are great, but this article shows you a more crucial side of e-commerce—logistics. It has been the bane of many e-commerce businesses struggling to make a profit in Nigeria.  

Read the full article here: E-commerce in Nigeria: The offline story of tricky logistics

3. Using e-commerce to improve margins for informal retail shops

Informal retail shops serve as quick fixes for many emergencies. From bottled water to sachet detergent, they sell all kinds of household items. However, the industry is very informal and fragmented. This story highlights how kiosk, hawkers, and market stalls are crucial for retail trade. It sheds light on how these retail goods, popularly known as fast-moving consumer goods, get distributed in Nigeria’s informal space. 

Read the full article here: Using e-commerce to improve margins for informal retail shops

4. Barely chugging along: An economy without rail transport

You would agree that Nigeria is still largely a road-based economy. Railways exist, but not enough to have a significant impact. And so, our overreliance on road transport makes the movement of agriculture products from up north to markets in the south risky and expensive. So in this story, we discuss how Nigerians bear the hidden costs of moribund railways through high food prices, deadly roads, and low economic growth. 

Read the full article here: Barely chugging along: An economy without rail transport

5. High hopes, higher standards: What it takes to export to foreign markets

As a Stears Business reader, you might have sensed our passion for "trade". It is not without cause. Nigeria’s market—though large—is not rich not enough to boost incomes significantly. So the country needs to trade internationally! International trade has lifted a billion people from extreme poverty in the last 20 years. China also achieved prosperity with an export-led growth strategy. But Nigeria is struggling on that front. Although advanced countries have tried to help by giving countries like Nigeria tariff-free access to their market, this article shows why such aid has not been enough.

Read the full article here: High hopes, higher standards: What it takes to export to foreign markets

6. Rallying for the railways

This next article is a Stears Business classic that aptly captures the essence of this compilation. “As the nerve centre of economic activity in any country, transport infrastructure should remain a priority for any responsible government looking to reflate its economy.”

Read the full article here:  Rallying for the railways

 

7. Graphics: What the new normal for air travel looks like

After the pandemic, travelling by air changed significantly. This story uses charts and graphs to show how 2020’s initial lockdown and travel restrictions affected the continent. The piece explains the restrictions’ impact on travel and tourism and the relationship between passenger and airline volumes.

Read the full article here:  Graphics: What the new normal for air travel looks like

8. Why Nigerian airlines keep failing

It’s hard to pinpoint Nigeria’s major domestic airline. Yesterday it was Aero. Today it is Ibom Air. Yet aeroplanes are one vital infrastructure that helps to move millions of people interstate or within countries. It’s not far-fetched to say that in Nigeria’s aviation sector, airline failure is the norm. But why? This article dug into the financials of airlines and unveiled insights from aviation experts to show why.

Read the full article here:  Why Nigerian airlines keep failing

9. Inside Nigeria’s airports and the struggle for profit

As a Nigerian, you might have compared many failed facilities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport to London’s Heathrow or more renowned airports across the world. But not so many people understand the fundamentals that explain why Nigeria’s airports are worse than others, even within Africa. This article does justice to that. It helps you understand how airports work, their business model, and how they make money. 

Read the full article here: Inside Nigeria’s airports and the struggle for profit

10. 60 facts about road and air transport in Nigeria

When we move around, we need our cars, bikes, bicycles and even planes. But what information do we know about these machines? This article digs into the details of Nigeria’s vehicle culture, highlighting interesting facts from how many cars we have in Nigeria to other striking statistics on domestic and international air travel.

Read the full article here: 60 facts about road and air transport in Nigeria