This was during a study visit by over 100 students under the Bachelor of transport and logistics management at the Makerere University Business School.
Drake Ntanda, commercial officer Globe Trotters Ltd told the students to learn the art and science of managing human being because human resources are the key to success to a company. Photo by John Odyek
EDUCATION CAREER
Undergraduate students of transport and logistics at Makerere University Business School have been told that successfully running the transport and logistics industry requires a complete understanding of the state of the economy at all times.
Drake Ntanda, commercial officer Globe Trotters Ltd said issues like when parents who are employees are crying for school fees can be an indicator of economic hardships which show the business cycle might be tough.
He cited other examples like the closure of the Rwanda border, insecurity in South Sudan, previous outbreaks of Ebola in DRC which bring challenges to regional logistics and transport of cargo.
“As students of logistics learn to look at economy holistically to see how to use the equipment, manpower, machines and assets that you have,” Ntanda said.
This was during a study visit by over 100 students under the Bachelor of transport and logistics management at the Makerere University Business School. The visit took place at the head offices for Globe Trotters Ltd at Buto, Bweyogerere, Kampala.
The students were shown the truck heads, axles, trailers, male and female connection parts of the trailers and cranes.
Ntanda told the students to learn the art and science of managing human beings because human resources are the key to the success of a company. “You need to avoid creating a driver and boss relationship, manage the human being to get the best out of them. Without the drivers, the company cannot exist and grow, have courtesies for human beings. As a boss, don’t drive with your car windows up among employees, ” Ntanda said.
He cited a case where if a trailer was heading to Mbarara it could be good to assign a driver coming from that side, in that case, a Munyankole and if going to Lira a Langi.
He also said drivers might carry a bunch of matooke, a sack of millet which should not be looked at badly by the company.
He said some drivers could do some business along the way by carrying goods on the empty trucks which a company should tolerate because drivers like any human beings are looking for ways to earn and survive.
He tipped the students that networking at social events was a way to get business opportunities. He said other ways were through reading the tender advertisements in the New Vision.
Dr Rogers Matama (PhD), Head Department of Logistics Management, Makerere University Business said a professional working in the industry of logistics management is called a logistician.
He said the main functions of a qualified logistician include; inventory management, purchasing, transportation, warehousing, consultation and organizing and planning of these activities.
“logistics and transport are a key factor in improving Uganda’s competitiveness by increasing investments and net exports,” Matama said
He added that Uganda has begun to play a wider logistics role in the Great Lakes region despite being landlocked.
Matama said students need to see what is happening practically in the logistics field to know how their knowledge will be used adding that students also have to learn from practitioners in the industry.
Uganda improved its ranking from the 83rd position to the 55th position last year in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI). Uganda’s ranking has improved because of improvement in customs clearance procedures, improvement in infrastructure.
Globetrotters Ltd is 100% Ugandan-owned Company, based in Kampala, with facilities and operations in global freight forwarding, inland and cross border transportation services, project cargo management, route survey and convoy management, air and sea freight customs clearance and warehousing facilities.
