Reading · Women in Geopolitics

Africa has ambitious plans for continental trade. The African Continental Free Trade Area promises to create greater opportunities for African businesses to trade across borders. But what happens when the policies exist, the agreements are signed, yet the systems and skills required to make trade happen are not in place?

For Ingrid Du Buisson, the answer begins with one fundamental resource: people.

In her contribution to Women in Geopolitics, Ingrid argues that Africa’s logistics and supply-chain challenges cannot be solved simply by creating more policies, regulations and agreements. The continent needs to invest in the human capital capable of translating those policies into effective action.

“Our people is the key to conversion.”

For Ingrid, the entire logistics value chain is a system. If one part of that system is weak, the impact is felt across the entire supply chain—from customs and border processes to freight forwarding, transportation and ultimately the movement of goods between African countries.

She points to a critical gap: too many people working within the logistics sector have not received formal professional training. Her call is therefore for greater professionalisation, certification and capacity-building across Africa, particularly within the SADC region.

This is especially important for small businesses, importers, exporters and entrepreneurs, who can easily become overwhelmed by customs requirements, regulations and bureaucracy across different African markets.

Ingrid also highlights the importance of women entering and advancing within logistics. Women must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to participate on an equal footing across the sector, rather than remaining on the periphery of Africa’s trade infrastructure.

And her message extends beyond logistics.

Africa has no shortage of strategies. The challenge is implementation.

Instead of continually producing new policies and frameworks, Ingrid challenges African countries to take what already exists, establish clear action plans, assign responsibilities and begin implementing.

Her message is ultimately a call for African countries to stop working in silos and start building the capacity and systems required for genuine continental integration.

“We need to stop isolating each other. We need to integrate.”

For Ingrid Du Buisson, Africa’s trade future will not be built by agreements alone.

It will be built by people with the knowledge, skills, professional standards and determination to turn those agreements into action.

The Women in Geopolitics Debate Series is a high-level thought-leadership platform dedicated to amplifying African voices, particularly women’s voices, in conversations on geopolitics, global affairs, governance, leadership and development.

Through dialogue with women leaders, diplomats, policymakers, business leaders, academics and experts from across Africa and beyond, the programme is building a growing archive of African women’s perspectives on the issues shaping our continent and our world.

We invite you to visit the Women in Geopolitics Knowledge Hub on YouTube, explore previous conversations and subscribe as we unveil a new voice every day throughout August.

Madelein Mkunu is the President of Leading Women of Africa (LWA), a Pan-African social enterprise promoting women's leadership in economic development, and the founder of Beyond Boundaries, a global content and advocacy platform amplifying African women’s voices in policy, peacebuilding, and development. A bilingual English–French strategist and accomplished public speaker, she brings over 20 years of experience in gender mainstreaming, inclusive governance, and stakeholder engagement across Africa and globally. She holds an MBA and a Master’s in Management from IEDC-Bled School of Management (Slovenia), a Postgraduate Degree in Development Studies from the University of the Western Cape (South Africa), a Certificate in Leadership from the Dale Carnegie Institute, and is an alumna of Michigan State University’s Women Empowerment Programme. With a background in accounting and a passion for transformative change, Madelein is a trusted advisor to institutions seeking Africa-rooted development solutions.

Ingrid Du Buisson: Africa Cannot Trade Effectively Without the People to Make It Happen

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