The South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) 2016 Congress takes place on 6 and 7 September at Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand.

SAAFF CEO Dave Logan says this year’s event – themed ‘The future is now’ – presents the ‘best ever’ discussion programme and speaker line-up in the eight-year history of this annual event.

Logan believes that if South Africa is to compete on the global supply chain and logistics stage, it must comply with the global regulatory environment and adapt to constantly changing market conditions.

“Not only is it an economic imperative, but also an investment in the future security of this land we all call home,” says Logan. “SAAFF has recruited a distinguished panel of over 20 local and international speakers, including Issa Baluch, honorary FIATA board member, Stephen Morris, Chairman of FIATA’s Customs Affairs Institute, and Stanley Lim, Chairman of the FIATA Congress Committee.

The line-up also includes representatives from the banking and insurance sectors, Transnet and SARS, with well-known author and motivational speaker Justin Cohen as the programme director. The programme will cover worldwide industry challenges around customs, regulatory, political, economic and financial factors and the many opportunities that influence the freight forwarding industry. Trade facilitation is another important topic on the programme.

SAAFF chairman Basil Pietersen says, “Trade facilitation has been discussed for more than a hundred years, and today’s greater interconnectedness between economies and industries requires greater insight into local, regional and global trade.

“Trade facilitation must rank high on the SAAFF list of priorities and the subject is certain to feature strongly on future SAAFF Congress agendas.”

According to Ernst & Young’s ‘Building Bridges’ Report, logistics and warehouse spend on the African continent for 2016 is predicted to reach US$28-billion.

Logan says, “This year’s Congress comes at a time when trade supply chains and regulatory compliance are under the spotlight by global authorities. I urge all industry stakeholders to attend to ensure future success.”

A dedicated industry exhibition runs alongside the Congress.