3 Challenges in Scaling an African Logistics Empire—And How We Solved Them
By Alban Ago
Growth is a funny thing. Everyone wants it—until it arrives. And then, suddenly, you realize how unprepared you are for what you wished for. Scaling a business, particularly in logistics, isn’t just about adding more trucks or expanding warehouse space. It’s messier than that. It’s decisions made under pressure, systems stretched too thin, people working overtime just to keep things from collapsing.
At LELEADER GROUP, based in Benin, we didn’t set out to build an empire. We simply wanted to move goods more efficiently—within borders at first, then across them. But as our footprint expanded across West and Central Africa, we found ourselves facing challenges that textbooks don’t quite explain. Challenges unique to our context.
And while we haven’t solved everything—far from it—we’ve learned a few things along the way. Here are three of the biggest hurdles we faced while scaling, and how we’ve worked through them (or are still working through them, to be honest).
1. Inconsistent Infrastructure
This one’s probably obvious, but it’s deeper than most assume.
In theory, moving goods from Cotonou to Niamey should be a straightforward corridor. In practice? It depends on weather, road conditions, border mood, fuel availability, and a dozen other variables. One week, it takes 36 hours. Another, it’s four days.
At first, we tried to solve this with more vehicles. More redundancy. That helped... a bit. But what really made a difference was when we focused less on the trucks and more on the data. We started tracking routes obsessively—timing delays, logging checkpoints, mapping fuel stops. This wasn’t high-tech AI. Just disciplined observation and pattern recognition.
Over time, we built our own informal “corridor heat map” that let us predict trouble spots. That alone cut our transit variability by nearly 30%. Not perfect. But better. And better is sometimes enough.
2. Talent Gaps and Training Mismatches
Here’s something no one warns you about: when you grow fast, your team can become your bottleneck. Not because they’re not skilled, but because the complexity outruns their experience. A warehouse manager who thrives at one location might struggle when suddenly managing three. A dispatcher used to ten trucks might drown with thirty.
We learned this the hard way.
For a while, we tried external recruitment. It helped in some cases, but often created cultural clashes. So we pivoted. We started investing heavily in internal upskilling. Not just formal training—but mentorship, job shadowing, cross-functional rotations. Let a logistics coordinator sit with the finance team for a week. Or have a customs liaison learn about packaging constraints.
We also stopped promoting based purely on seniority. That was a hard shift, culturally. But over time, it created a more resilient, multi-skilled team—people who understood the bigger picture.
Scaling isn’t about adding headcount. It’s about evolving capabilities.
3. Managing Trust Across Borders
This one is subtle but crucial. As we expanded into new countries—Togo, DRC, Namibia—we faced a constant trust gap. Clients would say: “We know you in Benin. But here, you’re new.” Partners were hesitant. Local teams unsure of alignment. And understandably so.
Our early mistake was assuming our reputation would travel with us. It didn’t.
So we changed tactics. Instead of leading with our brand, we led with relationships. That meant spending more time on the ground. Listening. Hiring local. Letting local teams co-design operations. In DRC, for example, one of our logistics arms now operates under a slightly different name—one that resonates more locally. And that’s fine. Because trust matters more than labels.
We also made transparency a core part of every new market entry. Pricing models. Contract terms. Delivery schedules. Even when it hurt us in the short term, it built long-term credibility.
In a region where informal practices still dominate, showing your hand can feel risky. But we’ve found that doing so—carefully, not naively—builds deeper partnerships.
A Global Moment for Local Lessons
As I reflect on these lessons, I realize they’re not unique to us. Many African businesses are navigating similar terrain—rising demand, stretched infrastructure, fragmented systems. But what gives me hope is how adaptable we are. How creative, even with limited resources.
This year, LELEADER GROUP from Benin is proud to be a nominee for the 2025 Go Global Awards, hosted by the International Trade Council in London this coming 18th–19th November. It’s an event that brings together leaders from around the world—not just to compete, but to collaborate. To share what’s working, what isn’t, and how we’re all trying to adapt in real time.
It’s not just an awards show. It’s a meeting place for new ideas. A space to form partnerships. To think about what the next decade of global trade and logistics might look like—and who we want to be in that story.
We’re humbled to be part of it.
Final Thoughts
Scaling is never tidy. It exposes your weaknesses. Forces uncomfortable decisions. Sometimes, it even makes you question whether you should’ve grown at all.
But for us at LELEADER GROUP, the process has also sharpened our purpose. It’s made us more aware, more intentional. And while we still stumble—no doubt—we get back up a little faster each time.
So if you’re in the middle of scaling, or just starting to think about it, here’s my only advice: stay flexible. Stay human. And remember that your greatest strength might not be your systems or your capital—but your capacity to learn in motion.
