Nigeria lacks capacity for advanced delivery systems –Dubin

Scott Dubin, convener of Logistics Marketplace and a global supply chain and logistics expert, examines the Nigerian logistics sector in this interview with FELIX OLOYEDE

Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, yet it often relies on external logistics providers for health delivery. What does this reveal about the country’s use of local capacity?

Most health logistics work in Nigeria is already carried out by Nigerian companies. The trucks, warehouses, and drivers reaching clinics are almost entirely local. What tends to come from outside is the management layer: coordination, oversight, compliance, and performance reporting.

That reveals a clear gap. Nigeria does not lack firms that can move products; it lacks enough firms that are structured to manage complex national delivery systems. For years, many local companies have been treated as operators rather than as organisations responsible for orchestrating networks and assuring service quality.

When I redesigned the Global Fund’s 4PL model and selected MEBS as one of the first Nigerian-based logistics firms to lead national coordination, their performance showed what is possible – and at a lower cost. It proved that prepared local firms can manage nationwide health logistics. The task now is to turn that readiness from the exception into the norm.

What changes are needed to position indigenous providers at the centre of health supply chains?

Local firms already carry out most operational work, but far fewer have been prepared to manage health supply chains. Three shifts matter.

First, stronger systems and personnel for logistics management, including planning, supplier oversight, and performance reporting.

Second, basic tools for oversight, such as electronic proof of delivery, simple management systems, and clear tracking of service levels.

Third, a more customer-centred way of working, where providers anticipate challenges and communicate proactively.

International firms often become the default, not because they move goods better, but because they bring predictable systems and documentation. Once Nigerian firms build the same foundations, that gap closes quickly.

In clear terms, can you explain the role of Logistics Marketplace in solving these challenges?

The Marketplace removes three barriers that limit local participation: visibility, coordination, and friction.

It makes providers visible across all states and service types, so buyers no longer rely on personal networks.

It streamlines engagement by allowing buyers and providers to post opportunities, respond, and communicate in one place.

It gives local firms the space to grow by presenting their capabilities in a structured way that makes it easier for donors and governments to contract them.

The Marketplace does not replace systems. It removes the friction that has kept capable Nigerian companies on the margins.

How accessible is this platform to users across the country and the rest of Africa?

The Logistics Marketplace is web-based, free, and open to any organisation with an internet connection. Registration is simple for both buyers and providers.

Providers can create profiles quickly, upload documentation, list services, and become discoverable without large administrative teams. Buyers can search by geography, capacity, or asset type and post opportunities in a consistent format.

This levels the playing field. A firm in Bayelsa or Borno has the same visibility as one in Abuja. Because the platform is global, Nigerian firms can also reach clients beyond the country.

The design keeps participation straightforward, which is essential for strengthening logistics markets at scale.

Beyond simply listing providers, how does the Logistics Marketplace ensure quality, vetting, compliance, and performance tracking so that governments and donors can confidently engage local logistics partners at scale?

The Marketplace does not certify companies. That remains the buyer’s responsibility. It provides structured information so buyers can assess firms with confidence.

A helpful comparison is a Google Business Profile. Google does not guarantee quality, but it provides enough information for customers to move forward. The Marketplace does the same with licences, certifications, fleet details, warehouse data, cold chain assets, and references.

All vetting still follows standard procurement rules. The platform removes the information gaps that have kept many local firms from being considered.

Over time, it builds a record of participation and delivery, creating practical institutional memory in settings without national certification systems.

Mpox and COVID-19 both exposed weaknesses in Nigeria’s cold-chain delivery systems. If advising NAFDAC, NPHCDA, and the Ministry of Health, what immediate, low-cost steps could be taken to strengthen last-mile delivery in underserved states like Borno, Taraba, and Bayelsa?

Emergencies expose what already exists in a system. During Mpox and COVID-19, a central weakness was not knowing quickly who could deliver where or what cold chain assets were available.

The first low-cost step is to build that visibility before the next crisis, using tools like the Marketplace to map providers and assets in high-risk states.

If emergency teams and local firms already share the same coordination channel, states can activate support much faster when demand spikes.

Nigeria is investing in vaccine manufacturing and pharmaceutical autonomy. How critical is a reliable last-mile delivery network to making these investments effective, and could weak logistics undermine the country’s self-reliance ambitions?

Manufacturing and delivery solve different problems.

Local production improves supply security, but it does not guarantee products reach clinics.

Whether a vaccine is made locally or imported, it still must reach the last mile. Weak delivery limits the health impact of manufacturing investments.

Nigeria benefits most when production and delivery advance together.

Many platforms start strong but struggle with uptake, funding, or policy integration over time. What is the long-term vision for the Logistics Marketplace, and how will it stay sustainable, trusted, and integrated into national health systems – not just as a tool, but as part of the health infrastructure?

The vision rests on traction, trust, and integration.

Traction comes from widespread use. As buyers and providers rely on the platform, it becomes the normal way to find and engage logistics companies.

Trust comes from neutrality. The Marketplace does not promote specific firms. It increases transparency without judgement.

Integration makes it part of the health system. Ministries and partners can encourage or require tenders to appear on the platform, so visibility is consistent across states.

Sustainability follows. The core platform stays free, with optional premium tools available over time.

Logistics is often seen as a support service rather than a strategic pillar. What mindset shift is required among Nigerian policymakers, donors, and health stakeholders to treat logistics as central to health system performance?

Logistics is often viewed as an operational detail, but it is what turns supplies into health outcomes. Medicines in a warehouse do not save lives. Medicines in the right place at the right time do.

Nigeria needs to treat logistics with the same seriousness as procurement or surveillance. This means placing logistics leadership at decision-making tables and investing in data systems and performance management.

Donor-funded programmes often prefer international logistics firms due to compliance concerns, leaving local providers underutilised. How can platforms that assess and aggregate local providers help bridge this trust and quality gap?

Donors often default to international firms because they know those firms meet documentation and audit standards. This is a compliance dynamic, not a reflection of local operational capability.

The Marketplace helps by giving donors a structured way to see, compare, and document local providers. It removes visibility gaps, not compliance rules.

Nigeria is adopting innovations such as AI, drones, and delivery tech, but often as imported solutions. What will it take for the country not only to consume technology but also to lead innovation in health logistics for the continent?

Nigeria has strong talent. The challenge is adoption.Technologies must be embedded in daily operations such as routing, electronic proof of delivery, and digital coordination.

Technology must sit on top of strong logistics fundamentals, such as disciplined planning and consistent processes.

The market must reward innovation. Providers invest when contracts value reliability and visibility. More outsourcing to local firms creates those incentives.

State governments often think in electoral cycles rather than systemic reforms.

How would you persuade a governor that optimising last-mile delivery today has a measurable long-term impact on maternal health, vaccine access, and disease control?

Improving last-mile delivery produces immediate, visible results such as fewer stockouts and smoother clinic operations, which governors can point to within one term.

Longer-term gains, such as stronger maternal health and better outbreak control, build over time.

Few reforms offer both quick wins and lasting value. Logistics does.

Nigeria’s private sector has excelled in logistics for e-commerce, fintech, and mobility. Why hasn’t the health sector benefited from that same agility, and how could better collaboration unlock a public–private logistics powerhouse?

Health is government-led and shaped by compliance rules that slow innovation.

Health systems are fragmented, while consumer platforms integrate routing, tracking, and communication.

Contracting models and technical expertise for engaging private firms remain limited.

With clearer procurement pathways and defined expectations, Nigeria can apply private sector strengths to health.

Emergency health logistics in Nigeria are often reactive, activated only after crises such as floods or outbreaks. What would a more anticipatory, predictive, and resilient logistics system look like for the country?

A resilient emergency system is built during normal operations.

It requires reliable everyday delivery, trained people, tested processes, pre-negotiated contracts, and planning for high-risk scenarios.

States also need visibility into who can deliver where.

Emergency-ready systems are simply strong everyday systems with speed added.

If local logistics capacity were fully harnessed and coordinated at scale, what practical difference would it make for healthcare delivery in Nigeria, particularly for a mother in a remote clinic waiting for life-saving supplies?

Picture a mother arriving at a remote clinic with a sick child, after a long and costly journey. The one thing she should not have to fear is whether the clinic can provide care or whether the medicines will be there when the health worker reaches for them.

When logistics work well, that uncertainty disappears.

Fully coordinated local logistics capacity means supplies arrive predictably. The clinic she reaches is stocked, and if medicines need to be collected elsewhere, they are available through trusted channels closer to home.

For that mother, this becomes something very simple: confidence that treatment can begin immediately and that she will not have to repeat the same long journey while her child waits.

The benefits ripple outward. Families lose fewer work hours and face fewer financial shocks. Clinics function as intended because they have the tools and products they need, and communities trust the system because it works consistently.

Investing in logistics is not about moving boxes; it is about reducing suffering and giving every family a fair chance at timely care.