The South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) will host its fifth annual congress, from 8-9 October 2013 at the Hilton, Sandton.

David Logan, CEO of SAAFF, says, “The freight forwarding market has been a major beneficiary of an increasingly globalised world economy and Africa’s booming trade and investment environment is yet another golden opportunity for serious growth.  Our industry is in a unique position to tap into the incredible growth currently shaping the African continent where some of the fastest growing economies reside.  Added to this the rapid reconstruction and development projects taking place throughout the continent will rely heavily on the services of freight forwarders.  Africa’s abundance of commodities is estimated to generate about a third of Africa’s growth.  All this requires trusted partners in the movement of goods to facilitate global trade, and the forwarders best positioned to capitalise on this are those that have robust infrastructures, global capability, solid expertise and a deep understanding of trade in African countries, which is not without its fair share of risk.”

The two-day congress will highlight and debate many of the pressing issues from customs modernization, security, piracy, supply chain efficiencies, trade credit, risk management, political risk, legislation, FAIS, economic trading factors, transformation, training and in-demand skills and more.  Running alongside the congress will be a two-day industry supplier exhibition as well as a one day vocational education workshop on Tues 8 October covering important issues regarding skills development, industry qualifications, talent management, training, BBBEE and more – all critical issues for HR managers and directors in the freight forwarding industry.