Securing Africa’s Supply Chains: a Call to Action for TAPA EMEA Members
When we talk about cargo crime in Africa… we think South Africa.
It’s hardly surprising given the weighty statistics in the TAPA EMEA Intelligence System (TIS) database for attacks on trucks and facilities across South Africa’s provinces, its reputation for truck hijackings and violence, the high values of losses, and the frequent police and media attention given over to the latest thefts.
South Africa is arguably the ‘cargo crime capital’ of the EMEA region, with the average loss for major cargo thefts of €100K or more over the past two years into seven-figures at €1,148,097.
But, what’s happening in the other 53 countries that make up the African continent?
If you were to base your assessment solely on recorded cargo crime statistics in the TIS database, you might consider their supply chains to be relatively safe. In the two years to 31 May 2025, attacks are certainly widespread, spanning 47 countries, but TAPA EMEA only accumulated reports on 1,015 incidents overall.
So, is the rest of Africa secure for supply chain operations – or is it purely the victim of a lack of crime intelligence and poor incident reporting? Most informed observers would certainly say the latter.
Our understanding of cargo security risks and crime in Africa need a seismic shift and the person leading this campaign is TAPA EMEA’s Regional Lead, Filipe Joel de Almeida. But he can’t do it without your support. In the article he explains the challenges and opportunities…
What if the next major success story in global supply chain resilience came from Africa – and we missed the opportunity to lead it?
Africa is undergoing a profound transformation. With some of the fastest-growing economies in the world, an emerging middle class, and a surge in intra-continental trade driven by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the continent is poised to become a logistics powerhouse. Yet, amidst this evolution, one critical element remains largely underdeveloped: Supply Chain Security and Resilience.
TAPA EMEA currently has only a modest footprint in Africa, concentrated almost entirely in South Africa. This underrepresentation stands in stark contrast to the scale and complexity of security risks on the continent. More than ever, the TAPA Standards – Facility Security Requirements (FSR), Trucking Security Requirements (TSR), Parking Security Requirements (PSR), and our newly launched Cyber Security Standard (CSS) – have a vital role to play in securing African supply chains, reducing cargo crime, and enabling long-term resilience.
This is a call to action for all TAPA EMEA members. Whether you operate in Africa or not, you have the power to influence positive change. Your knowledge, procurement practices, and strategic requirements can help accelerate the awareness, adoption, and impact of TAPA Standards across the African continent.
The Reality on the Ground: Gaps in Resilience, Opportunities for Impact
Supply chain security in Africa is confronted by a wide range of systemic threats:
- Cargo theft and hijackings, particularly in South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya, targeting high-value goods such as electronics, pharmaceuticals, and FMCG.
- Insider threats and collusion at warehouses, ports, and border crossings.
- Lack of secure truck parking infrastructure, exposing drivers and cargo to attack.
- Port inefficiencies and corruption, particularly in West Africa, increasing vulnerability during customs clearance and dwell times.
- Digital vulnerabilities, as logistics providers adopt more technology without adequate cyber risk mitigation strategies.
Consider a high-value pharmaceutical load hijacked in Gauteng, or a fraudulent diversion of containerized cargo in East Africa through digital manipulation. These are not isolated anomalies — they are predictable and recurring risks. Most importantly, they are often preventable through structured, standards-based risk management.
TAPA Standards: Fit for Africa’s Logistics Realities
TAPA’s globally recognised standards are uniquely suited to the African context due to their scalability, modularity, and focus on practical implementation – even in environments with limited infrastructure or legacy systems:
- FSR (Facility Security Requirements) strengthens warehousing, distribution hubs, and consolidation points, especially critical in fragmented supply chains where multiple actors operate with inconsistent physical controls.
- TSR (Trucking Security Requirements) addresses one of the most acute pain points in Africa – in-transit cargo crime. In markets where truck-based long-haul is the norm, TSR offers a critical lifeline for improving driver safety, route planning, and vehicle security.
- PSR (Parking Security Requirements) is especially relevant where secure overnight truck parking is either unavailable or informal, increasing the exposure window for violent attacks and theft.
- CSS (Cyber Security Standard), TAPA’s newest addition, supports logistics operators in securing their growing digital ecosystems. As mobile apps, telematics, and e-freight systems are adopted, cybercriminals are finding new avenues of exploitation. CSS offers a practical baseline for digital resilience across operations, tailored to logistics realities.
Why Now: A Strategic Moment for Engagement
Africa is not just a geography of risk – it is a strategic growth frontier. Investment in corridors like LAPSSET (East Africa), port expansion in Durban, Tema, and Lagos, and increased participation in global manufacturing chains (e.g., automotive, pharma, tech) are creating complex and fast-evolving logistics environments.
But as infrastructure expands, so do the vulnerabilities. As global companies build footprints in Africa, their upstream and downstream suppliers – often local or regional players – require guidance and alignment to global best practices.
This is where TAPA can have transformational impact – by offering a clear framework for security, resilience, and trust.
How You Can Help: A 6-Point Action Plan for TAPA Members
Whether your company operates directly in Africa or not, you can influence positive change. As members of the TAPA community, we collectively hold the levers to drive security transformation through strategy, policy, and engagement. Here’s how:
1. Spotlight Security Risks in Africa
Even anecdotal data is valuable. Report security incidents and emerging risks observed by your teams, partners, or freight forwarders operating on the continent to the TAPA Intelligence System (TIS).
Focus areas include:
- Routes experiencing repeated hijackings.
- Border bottlenecks linked to insider collusion.
- Port handling vulnerabilities and long dwell times.
- Increased cyber intrusions linked to supply chain operations.
Your contributions can help shape more accurate threat maps and inform investment priorities for regional stakeholders.
2. Identify and Connect Local Champions
If your company works with logistics partners, customs agents, or warehouse operators in Africa, invite them to learn more about TAPA. Make personal introductions. Better yet:
- Encourage them to attend TAPA webinars or regional briefings.
- Share success stories from your own TAPA implementation to demystify the standards.
- Help them identify which standard (FSR, TSR, PSR, or CSS) is most relevant to their risk profile.
Local engagement thrives when it begins with trust and shared purpose.
3. Support Awareness Events
TAPA EMEA is developing an African-focused engagement roadmap. You can support this by:
- Sponsoring a regional roundtable or country-specific webinar.
- Hosting an in-person session during trade missions or compliance visits.
- Sharing communications or joint press releases that highlight the importance of TAPA standards in African operations.
Public visibility builds legitimacy and demand for adoption.
4. Mentor and Guide
Consider volunteering to serve as a mentor to African security or logistics professionals new to the TAPA ecosystem. Examples of support could include:
- Explaining audit preparation and certification journeys.
- Sharing sample SOPs aligned to TAPA requirements.
- Helping local firms draft initial compliance roadmaps.
Structured mentorship fosters peer-to-peer credibility and accelerates implementation success.
5. Embed TAPA Standards in Procurement
Even if your operations don’t physically touch Africa, your contractual ecosystem might. You can shape market behaviour by making TAPA Standards a core component of:
- RFP/RFQ templates for warehousing, trucking, parking, or digital logistics services.
- Supplier onboarding due diligence questionnaires.
- Framework agreements and vendor codes of conduct.
Specify that Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers in Africa must adhere to (or be working towards) FSR, TSR, PSR, or CSS certification. This procurement cascading effect is one of the most powerful accelerators of systemic improvement.
6. Collaborate on Regional Research and Thought Leadership
Help us develop credible, African-focused materials – case studies, white papers, or localized threat intelligence briefs. You can contribute:
- Anonymized data on cargo crime losses in Africa.
- Case studies on cross-border risk controls.
- Benchmarking tools adapted for regional logistics models.
These outputs strengthen awareness, attract institutional partnerships, and influence government and donor-supported security initiatives.
Looking Ahead: TAPA’s Role in Africa’s Future
Africa’s logistics landscape is rapidly evolving – and so is its exposure to operational disruption, cyber threats, and organised crime. By embedding TAPA Standards now, we can help local and global stakeholders leapfrog to resilient, trusted supply chains.
This isn’t charity. It’s strategic foresight. Secure African supply chains benefit global flows, reduce insurance costs, and enhance end-to-end visibility.
The early adopters – those who support awareness, invest in partnerships, and embed security in their procurement – will be the ones shaping the future of trade on the continent.
Final Word: Will You Be Part of This Mission?
TAPA was built on the principle of shared responsibility. Our community has never been about passive compliance – but about collective action.
Africa’s moment is now. Let’s not be observers – let’s be enablers.
Whether through procurement policy, mentoring, knowledge-sharing, or simply amplifying the message, you can help accelerate the adoption of TAPA Standards where they are needed most.
Let’s ensure that when Africa’s supply chain transformation story is told, TAPA is a central stakeholder in this success story — as a catalyst of trust, a champion of resilience, and a standard for security.
To contribute to this initiative or recommend stakeholders for engagement, please contact me directly or the TAPA EMEA Team. I can be reached at Filipe@tapaemea.org or you can make contact with our Association via info@tapaemea.org
