Winners of 2026 Africa Supply Chain Excellence Awards Highlight Innovation in Cold Chain, Digital Marketplaces and Green Logistics

The fifth annual awards attracted 106 entries across 11 categories, with projects recognised for their approach to challenges in supply chain management and the measurable impact of their solutions.

Cold chain solution

Heart for Africa received a Platinum Award in Humanitarian and Health Supply Chain Management for Project Canaan, which aims to improve child nutrition in rural communities where refrigeration and transport infrastructure are limited.

Working with international partners, the organisation developed a solution to extend the stable shelf life of boiled eggs, alongside a distribution model for supplying protein to children in remote areas.

Connecting farmers and buyers

The eFama app was awarded the top prize in the Technology and Information Systems category and also received the Garry Marshall Award for Supply Chain Excellence.

The digital marketplace connects farmers directly with commercial buyers, with the aim of reducing barriers between producers and customers while helping farmers increase their incomes and reduce waste.

The Garry Marshall Award was introduced this year after previously being known as the ASCEA Judges’ Spotlight Award. It was renamed in honour of the late Garry Marshall, who served as the awards' head judge and was described by organisers as a supply chain and logistics pioneer, mentor and leader.

Textile waste diverted

Nebula Group, working with non-profit Clothes to Good, Pick n Pay and Heart for Africa shared Gold Awards in the Preservation of the Environment category.

Nebula Group and Clothes to Good were recognised for diverting more than 224,000 textile and footwear items, weighing more than 55 tonnes, from landfill. The materials are upcycled or downcycled into educational resources, mobility aids and other manufactured products.

Pick n Pay's Eastport Distribution Centre was recognised for its use of energy-efficient technology, resource management and environmental practices.

Heart for Africa's Project Canaan was also recognised for its closed-loop agricultural supply chain in water-scarce Eswatini.

Supply chain visibility

Digistics received a Platinum Award for End-to-End Supply Chain Excellence for its use of green transport solutions and voice-directed warehouse technology integrated with its Warehouse Management System and electronic proof of delivery system.

The entry focused on improving visibility from receiving through to final delivery, with reported gains in inventory accuracy, warehouse productivity and traceability.

The company also used transport modelling and route optimisation to reduce unnecessary travel and fuel consumption while improving fleet utilisation.

Trade and logistics

DP World received a Platinum Award in International Trade for its operations at the Port of Dakar in Senegal.

The award recognised investments in port efficiency, digitalisation and stakeholder collaboration. An assessment cited in the entry found that trade enabled through DP World's operations supported an average annual contribution equivalent to 3.8% of Senegal's GDP, 3.1% of national employment and 3.5% of national tax revenues.

Other winners

ABF Sugar won the Innovation and Change Management category for a programme covering outbound logistics in Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania and South Africa.

Inhance Supply Chain Solutions and Tiger Brands received a Platinum Award in Inventory, Warehousing and Distribution Management for an integrated Supply Chain Control Tower covering planning, logistics, warehousing and customer service.

Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Service received Gold in Procurement and Supply Management for reforms to essential-medicine procurement involving legislative changes, digital innovation, strategic sourcing and collaboration with local manufacturers.

DHL Supply Chain and Beapo were joint Gold winners in Training and Talent Management.

RNR app and Avemel Logistics shared the Gold Award in Transport – All Modes and Intermodal. RNR was recognised for using operational data and predictive analytics to help transport operators identify recurring problems and improve maintenance planning, while Avemel was recognised for its integrated logistics and specialist transport operations across Southern Africa.

In Supply Chain Coordination and Collaboration, Inhance Supply Chain Solutions and SPAR received Gold for the SPAR2U online grocery fulfilment solution.

ASCEA director Liesl de Wet said the awards' 11 categories covered the different disciplines within supply chain management, with entries assessed on the scale and complexity of the challenge, the quality of the solution and its measurable impact.

“The winners of these awards represent the very best of what Africa’s supply-chain sector can achieve.

"They have taken complexity and turned it into better outcomes, proving that innovation matters, but ultimately it is execution that moves economies forward. Every bottleneck removed, every connection improved and every supply chain made more efficient strengthens our ability to trade, compete and grow.

"Their achievements raise the standard for all of us and, as Headline Sponsor of the Africa Supply Chain Excellence Awards, Newlyn Group is proud to shine the light on winners that demonstrate what is possible when African talent, capital and ideas are matched by a relentless focus on delivery,” said Rajendra Balmakhun, CEO of Newlyn Group.