nexus, together with its Berlin partner GESI (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Systeminnovation mbH), visited partners and several cities in South Africa from 18 to 26 June to present the GLI-X indicator (Green Logistic Indicators for Exports) for sustainable freight transport in South Africa and discuss its further development. Requirements to apply the indicator system on the important transport corridors in South Africa were to be identified and its implementation initiated.

The Berlin team participated in the Africa Rail Conference and a “Data Workshop” in Johannesburg, a workshop in Durban, which also representatives of the neighbouring province of KwaZulu-Natal attended, and a workshop in Cape Town with representatives of the province of Western Cape. Moreover, a spontaneous meeting with the newly appointed transport minister of the Gauteng region took place in Johannesburg. He is keen to receive further information on the indicator system. All workshop and conference participants showed great interest in further developing the GLI-X indicator system to measure the sustainability of freight transport in South Africa. However, the indicator system should not focus on just one region if the goal of making freight transport more environmentally friendly, safer and economically more efficient is to be achieved. Rather important transport corridors and trading ports in South Africa must be included.

Phalama Jacob Mamabolo, Transport Minister of Gauteng Province, also stressed several times how important it is to optimise the corridors for freight transport and, above all, to provide the necessary data. After all, this is the new gold in the region, whilst gold mining is being declining. In their presentations, Martin Dresen, Managing Director of the Berlin-based company Geosys, and Gesine Pätzold of the Federal Statistical Office, emphasised this statement by sharing their experiences in establishing a corresponding data platform at national level. Both lectures were invited to data workshop by the Berlin team.

All partners involved welcome the proceeding of the  project funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

Current project: GLI-X: Green Logistic Indicators for Exports

Photo: Michael Abraham / nexus