Making Mozambique’s Corridors Work: An Interview with Luís Silva, CEO of AJS Transportes e Logística
Mozambique has a major opportunity to strengthen its position as a regional transport and logistics gateway, but the success of that ambition will depend on more than infrastructure investment. For Luís Silva, Chief Executive Officer of AJS Transportes e Logística, the focus must be on making the entire logistics journey work: from ship to port, from port to road or rail, across borders and ultimately to the customer.
With extensive operational experience across Angola, Namibia and South Africa, Luís brings a practical perspective on the challenges facing Southern Africa’s transport corridors from border delays and fragmented processes to the growing importance of digitalisation, visibility and private-sector participation.
Ahead of his participation at TRANS-LOG Mozambique 2026, Luís shares his views on Mozambique’s gateway potential, regional trade, corridor development and what it will take to make logistics infrastructure work more effectively in practice.
Mozambique has a very real opportunity to become one of the main gateways for Southern Africa. It has the coastline, the ports and the geographic position. But, in my view, the real opportunity is not only to move cargo through a port. It is to make the whole journey work from the ship to the port, to the road or rail network, across the border and finally to the customer. From experience, I can say that investors and cargo owners do not look only at distance or price. They look for certainty. They want to know how long a shipment will take, whether the border process is clear, whether the road is reliable and whether there is somebody who can take responsibility when something goes wrong.
If Mozambique can make its corridors more predictable and bring operators, transporters and customers into the conversation from the beginning, it can offer something very valuable to the region: reliability. That is what makes a gateway competitive in the long term.
Because we are the ones who deal with the reality on the ground every day. We know where the truck stops, where the documents get delayed, where the road becomes difficult, where the border process breaks down and what a customer needs to trust a route. It is very important to build roads, railways and ports. But infrastructure on its own is not enough. If a corridor is designed without listening to the people who will use and operate it, there is always a risk that the project looks good on paper but does not work properly in practice. Private operators should not be called only at the end, when the decisions have already been made. We need to be part of the planning from the start.
We can help identify the real operational needs: parking and service areas, security, maintenance, border hours, documentation, cargo handling and the commercial realities of serving that corridor. For me, the point is simple: infrastructure must create movement, trade and opportunity. If it does not work for the operators and the customers, it becomes an expensive asset that is not used to its full potential.
The biggest problem is repetition. The same truck and the same cargo information are often checked again, sometimes by different authorities and sometimes on both sides of the border. This costs time, money and energy. And when a truck is waiting, the whole supply chain is waiting. The first practical step is to digitise the process properly. Cargo information should be submitted before the truck arrives, and the relevant authorities should be able to use the same information. We need systems that speak to each other, rather than systems that create another layer of paperwork.
The second step is to harmonise procedures between countries. Southern Africa cannot talk about regional trade while every border applies different rules, different forms and different operating practices. There must be more consistency, especially for legitimate and well-documented cargo.
I also believe in measuring what happens. We should be able to say clearly how long a vehicle waits, why it waits and what needs to change. If we measure border performance honestly, we can fix the problems. The goal is not less control; it is better control faster, smarter and more transparent.
It is essential. Cargo does not see a road, a port or a railway as separate projects. Cargo sees one trip. If one part of that trip does not work, the whole journey is affected. We have all seen situations where a good road ends at a congested border, or where a port works well but there is not enough capacity outside the port gate.
In those situations, the investment is there, but the full benefit is lost because the different parts are not connected. That is why we need to plan corridors as one system. We need to look at the port, the rail, the roads, the border, the warehouses, the truck parking, the digital systems and the people operating everything. It also means listening to the industries that will use the corridor. Mining, agriculture, oil and gas and manufacturing all have different needs, but they all need reliability.
The question should always be very practical:
Can we move cargo from point A to point Z safely, on time and at a competitive cost?
If the answer is yes, then the corridor is working.
Customers expect much more today than just a truck arriving to collect a load. They want to know where their cargo is, when it will arrive and what is being done if there is a problem. They want a logistics partner who understands their business, not only their route. In mining or oil and gas, a delay can stop an operation. In agriculture, timing and care of the product are critical. In manufacturing, one late delivery can affect production. So, customers are looking for reliability, visibility and good communication.
They also expect very high standards on safety, compliance and the way cargo is handled. For logistics companies, this means we have to go beyond transport. We need to offer solutions. We need good people, well-maintained equipment, strong safety standards, proper planning and systems that give the customer visibility. We also have to be honest. If there is a challenge, the customer should hear it from us early, together with a solution. In this business, trust is built over time. It is built by doing what you say you will do, especially when the situation is difficult.
For me, the most important technology is the technology that solves a real problem. We do not need digitalisation simply because it sounds modern. We need it to reduce waiting time, remove repeated paperwork and give everyone better visibility of what is happening. At the border, electronic single-window systems and pre-arrival processing can make a real difference. If the documents are checked before the truck arrives and the authorities have access to the same information, a lot of unnecessary delay can be avoided. On the transport side, tracking systems, fleet management, digital proof of delivery and better planning tools are already helping operators work more efficiently.
They help us see where a vehicle is, react faster to a delay and communicate better with the customer. But technology will only work if countries cooperate. It needs common rules, trained people, reliable connectivity and systems that can speak to each other.
Otherwise, we just replace paper problems with digital problems. The outcome we want is simple: less waiting, less paperwork and more certainty for trade.
I hope delegates leave with the understanding that logistics is not a side issue. It is central to trade, investment, jobs and the development of the region. Every delay on a road, at a port or at a border has a cost. In the end, that cost is paid by businesses, consumers and communities. My first message is that we must focus on how corridors perform in real life, not only on the infrastructure we announce. The real question is whether goods are moving safely, quickly and predictably.
My second message is that border reform is possible. It does not always require a massive new project. Sometimes it requires better coordination, shared data, simpler processes and the willingness to remove duplication. And my final message is that the private sector must be part of the solution from the beginning. Operators bring practical knowledge that can help governments, investors and development partners make better decisions. If we work together, Mozambique and the region can build corridors that are not only impressive on a map, but genuinely useful for people and business.
