DHL Group has launched a new humanitarian logistics academy designed to strengthen disaster preparedness and improve aid delivery capabilities across Africa and beyond.
DHL Group has officially launched the DHL Academy of Humanitarian Logistics (DAHL), a new global initiative aimed at strengthening humanitarian logistics skills and improving disaster preparedness in vulnerable communities worldwide.
The programme, launched in Johannesburg, forms part of DHL Group’s broader GoHelp corporate citizenship initiative and is designed to provide practical, accessible and locally relevant logistics training to humanitarian organisations.
The academy transforms DHL’s logistics expertise into pro bono training opportunities for non-profit organisations, with a particular focus on strengthening the capabilities of local and regional responders before emergencies occur.
The Johannesburg launch brought together humanitarian organisations for hands-on training covering key logistics disciplines including customs procedures, dangerous goods handling, packaging and safety.
According to DHL Group, growing humanitarian needs driven by climate-related disasters, protracted crises and increasingly complex risk environments require stronger preparedness and operational capability across the humanitarian sector.
“Humanitarian needs are becoming more complex and more frequent, driven by a combination of climate-related events, protracted crises and evolving risk environments,” said Christoph Selig, Vice President Sustainability Communications and Programs at DHL Group.
“With the DHL Academy of Humanitarian Logistics, we are building on our experience in disaster response and preparedness to strengthen practical capabilities across the sector and support more effective, locally driven operations.”
DAHL becomes the third pillar of DHL’s GoHelp programme, alongside its Disaster Response Teams and the Get Airports Ready for Disaster initiative, both of which have supported disaster preparedness and response efforts globally for more than two decades.
The academy has already demonstrated strong demand, with more than 650 participants from over 80 non-governmental organisations completing pilot training programmes globally. DHL reports that 96% of participants rated the training as valuable.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the programme will roll out across South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Ghana and Nigeria during 2026, helping organisations strengthen their logistics capabilities and improve the efficiency of aid delivery.
“By further equipping these organizations with practical, hands-on logistics knowledge, we can help strengthen preparedness and improve the efficiency of response operations on the ground,” said George Wood, Director Customer Operations Sub-Saharan Africa at DHL Express and active DHL GoHelp volunteer.
The programme offers a flexible learning model that includes in-person workshops, virtual sessions, warehouse assessments and e-learning modules. All training is delivered free of charge by experienced DHL logistics professionals.
The launch of the academy marks another milestone in DHL’s commitment to using its logistics expertise to support humanitarian action and improve disaster preparedness across the globe.
