Andre Klynsmith

Business Insights

1 600 Small Exporters in Uganda: Why the DHL-Absa Trade Programme Is a Volume Signal, Not a Press Release

DHL and Absa Group have signed a memorandum of understanding to expand a programme that gives small and medium-sized enterprises training and support for cross-border trade across sub-Saharan Africa.

Business Insights

5 September 2026 • 4 min read

Pairing a logistics company with a bank is an admission about why small exporters fail. The barrier is rarely demand. It is that the paperwork is unfamiliar and the working capital runs out between shipping and getting paid — and no freight quote solves either.

What Has Been Agreed

The memorandum provides for the rollout of DHL's GoTrade programme in selected African markets, combining the logistics company's trade expertise with Absa's banking and financial services. The partners said the programme will help SMEs understand export requirements, access financial support, reach customers through e-commerce and enter international markets.

Roughly 1 600 SMEs have participated in the programme in Uganda. It has also been implemented in Kenya, Botswana and Zambia, with Mozambique and Tanzania expected to be the next markets in the rollout. No timeframe, participation target or investment value has been disclosed for the wider expansion — a gap worth noting before treating this as committed capacity.

The Two Failure Points It Targets

Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Zuko Godlimpi framed the gap plainly: "This partnership brings together the finance, logistics, market knowledge and public support that SMEs need to trade beyond our borders." DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa CEO Hennie Heymans said the partnership is intended to help businesses overcome obstacles encountered when exporting for the first time or expanding into new international markets, while Absa Group Business Development Managing Executive Faisal Mkhize said it gives business owners practical support and access to trade-related services.

Anyone who has cleared cargo for a first-time exporter recognises both failure points. The documentation problem shows up as an incorrectly classified HS code, a missing certificate of origin or an invoice that does not match the declaration — each one a hold at the border and a storage bill. The finance problem shows up later, when the exporter has paid for production and freight but will only be paid on delivery sixty days out, and simply stops shipping.

Why Transporters and Forwarders Should Watch This

Programmes like this are upstream of freight demand. A trained small exporter with access to trade finance becomes a repeat shipper; an untrained one ships once, gets stuck at a border post, and does not come back. For carriers and forwarders serving the SADC cross-border lanes, the pipeline of newly export-capable SMEs is where next year's small-consignment volume comes from — typically groupage, LTL and courier weights rather than full loads.

The regional pattern is also worth reading. Uganda, Kenya, Botswana and Zambia already covered, with Mozambique and Tanzania next, traces the eastern and central corridors rather than the western ones. Namibia and the Walvis Bay corridor are not on the announced list. Operators on the western side should treat the documentation-and-finance combination as the model worth replicating locally, whether or not this particular programme arrives.

About the Author
	Andre Klynsmith Entrepreneur & Technology Enthusiast Andre's expertise spans technology, blockchain, transport, and logistics — with a passion for innovation and driving positive change across industries. info@laaimylorrie.com | laaimylorrie.com