Adaora Ikenze is the newly elected Board Chair at Haul247, a technology-backed logistics firm for businesses to seamlessly book trucks and warehouses across multiple geo-locations. She was formerly the Director of Public Policy (Anglophone West Africa) at Meta Platforms Inc.
She speaks with Boluwatife Omotayo about her plans to improve processes at Haul247, using her global technology experience and work at Meta.
How does your experience at a global technology company like Meta position you to drive Haul247’s growth?
I like to think that I will bring more than my experience at Meta to my tenure as the board chair at Haul247. I have been a board member for several other organisations and companies, and I think that Haul 247 is unique, first of all, because it is the sector that I am now interfacing with, and secondly, because of the way they use technology, the role as a board chair doesn’t necessarily change.
What I’m looking to do, first of all, is to be a champion for the company, and secondly, to bring my experience in building institutions and teams, providing a north star for internal growth and development, and ensuring the financial viability of the organisation.
Haul 247 prides itself on being Africa’s Airbnb for trucks and warehouses. Can you tell us more about its approach?
Haul247 is an outlier in the Nigerian logistics industry because its methodology for engaging its clients and tracking processes to provide a particular level of customer service is unique in the space.
Haul 247 is fully digitalised, not only in our internal modalities but also in our engagements with logistic agents, trucking partners, and clients. The clients’ capability to engage with Haul247 on digital platforms for booking, tracking, payment processes, and back-end tracking of their goods allows them to plan better as well.
The user integration for clients on our website is unique. In the warehousing model, clients can manage their requests, and the administration has complete oversight of them. We have our trip tracking processes, which cover everything from verifying the trucks to the truck owners to the drivers and allowing us to see the product move from end to end.
What are the biggest challenges facing the logistics ecosystem in Nigeria, and what exactly is Haul247 doing to address these challenges?
There are three main challenges. The first one is our transport infrastructure. The second one is the economic environment, which impacts transportation costs. Third is the ability to plan and have a secure and predictable end-to-end logistics process. What makes Haul247 stand out is that we are the company that will provide you with an economically viable system of planning your logistics needs and the most secure system of booking and receiving your logistics requirements.
More importantly, the services we provide are rooted in the ability to track and project. They give users and clients the ability to plan better despite uncertainty and disruptions.
Given your experience, what processes and strategies do you intend to implement to enhance Haul 247’s operations?
First of all, I would bring a firm understanding of where the technology space is going and the opportunity to understand what potential there is for new tools and how to deploy them. I would also bring an understanding of the use of customer-derived data while creating a community around the business model online.
An understanding of the trajectory of technology and its deployment to improve digital transformation and business processes will continue on the board and on assets at Haul247. Also, a knowledge of digital tools and communication methodologies that companies like Meta provide will also be a benefit to Haul247.
As Haul 247 continues to grow, what measures are in place to ensure that the firm retains the scalability and reliability of its technology infrastructure?
We make sure that the functionality of the website is optimal at all times. As we build out our warehousing model, we continue to listen and make sure we can satisfy the client’s requests.
It is also important that we continue to engage with our clients. Feedback is essential for ensuring that our responses, along with any adjustments and enhancements we make, keep our engagement strong and effective. We also have to ensure that our data is consistent and translatable into actionable reports. When you reach us for a service and we offer options, it is based on precise information that you can use to make those smart decisions.
What role will technology play in Haul247’s operation?
Our technology processes provide an additional layer of security. Not only the security of the products but also the security of the transporters.
Also, for any company that is transporting goods in Nigeria now, the main priority is to be able to ascertain the date and time of arrival of a package. This certainty is a uniqueness of the tech solution that Haul247.
What emerging trends or technologies do you see as having the biggest impact on the logistics industry in the coming years?
AI is going to play a part. The ability to use AI to better predict risks within the logistics space is very important. It includes everything from predicting costs to integrating regional or local infrastructure deficits into your projections of the services. Also, the ability to automate our clients’ transactional documentation, et cetera. To be able to scan the product as it is put on the truck and receive it in real-time. Using technology is now imperative in the logistics industry.
We’re looking at transporting fresh produce so our clients understand that we are deploying technology that can help us ensure the viability of this produce from A to B—everything from the cooling of the truck to the way we pack it. We know that these things are being done already, and we expect that, in a very limited amount of time, we will be able to deploy this sort of thing in Nigeria as well.
How is Haul 247 incorporating sustainability into its operations, and what are its goals for reducing environmental footprint?
We have delivery partners, and one of the things that we are looking at is working with them to ensure that their vehicles leverage the most economical and sustainable energy sources possible.
There’s a massive push for CNG vehicles at the moment. We’re also aware that there is a cost implication, but we know that it is essential for sustainability down the line.
It is also essential for our clients to say that they are part of a concerted effort to maintain at least the level of environmental responsibility and provide more financially manageable options for the logistics sector. Internally, we try our best to be environmentally conscious with a very lean team.
We hope to also be part of the conversation at a national level to examine how the logistics sector can contribute to the government’s efforts and policies to create a more sustainable push towards energy management in Nigeria. We recognise that there are various facets to this.
The company raised $3m in 2023 to expand its operations. Is there a plan to raise more funds going forward?
We’re well-positioned for continued growth with the capital we raised last year. That said, we’re ambitious and always exploring options to accelerate our growth trajectory. We’ll share more details when the time is right.
What are your plans for expanding operations, product offerings, and market presence?
We want to dominate the African market. We’re looking at becoming the preferred service provider for not just the large FMCGs but also smaller companies. There’s a huge market in the SME and MSME logistics space. This is a company that people will be talking about and using in the next 100 years.
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