Trade insights
Why multimodal logistics matters for the Great Lakes region
10 November 2026 · KIFARU EXPRESS · 1 min read
Landlocked markets depend on seamless hand-offs between ports, rail, road and lake. Coordination is where time and cost are won or lost.
For businesses in Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Zambia and eastern DR Congo, the sea is hundreds of kilometres away. Every consignment depends on a chain of hand-offs — ship to port, port to rail or truck, border to inland depot, depot to door.
The cost of disconnected links
When each leg is managed separately, delays compound: cargo waits for documents, trucks wait for cargo, and nobody owns the whole journey.
One plan, many modes
A multimodal approach plans the route as a single system. Rail can carry heavy volumes economically over long distances, road provides flexibility for the first and last mile, and lake transport opens alternative gateways.
- Fewer idle days at handover points
- Clear ownership of documentation and customs coordination
- Visibility of every milestone for the cargo owner
That is the principle behind KIFARU EXPRESS: a clear point of coordination for complex, cross-border cargo movements.
