Celebrating Business Longevity Threeways Shipping Services at 30: Three Decades Walking with Uganda’s Growth

February 19, 2026 in Letters, Opinion by Editor

 

By Pamela Ankunda

This year marks thirty years of existence for Threeways Shipping company (Group) ltd — a milestone that speaks not just to corporate longevity, but to endurance, adaptation, and belief in Uganda’s economic promise.

Unfortunately, not many indigenous companies can celebrate 30 years, which is why I choose to celebrate the grit and perseverance of a logistics firm that makes this milestone.

Three decades ago, Uganda was a very different country to operate in — especially for a logistics company. Beyond logistics, Uganda had hope that it could not possibly renew, and dreams that were a miracle to come alive.

The mid-1990s period was one of transition. Infrastructure networks were still recovering from years of instability. Key transport corridors were underdeveloped, fleet financing was scarce, and cross-border trade systems were largely manual. The private sector was finding its footing in a country rebuilding from disease burden, debt pressure, and fragile institutional systems — yet alive with hope for renewal.

It was within this environment that Threeways Shipping was born. The company’s early years were shaped by grit rather than convenience. Moving cargo across Uganda and the wider region required more than trucks — it demanded resilience, mechanical ingenuity, patience at border points, and trust built shipment by shipment. Logistics then, was less about technology and more about human reliability.

Over time, as Uganda’s road networks expanded, even if in bare minimum, regional trade blocs strengthened, and customs systems modernized, logistics companies had to evolve. Fleet sizes grew. Compliance standards tightened. Client expectations shifted from basic delivery to integrated supply chain solutions. Still, it was no silver bullet, no magic wind.

But with changes, Threeways Shipping grew, turning so many tides of change, disruption, debts, etc, to make a mark on the logistics sector today.

Its story mirrors the steady rise of Uganda’s transport— from recovery to regional competitiveness. The company has supported the movement of essential goods, construction materials, agricultural produce, petroleum products, and humanitarian supplies, quietly enabling sectors that power daily life.

Logistics companies rarely occupy headlines, yet they form the bloodstream of an economy. Every factory input, supermarket shelf item, hospital supply, and infrastructure project depends on transport reliability.

Thirty years in logistics, therefore, is not just a business anniversary — it is participation in nation-building.

 

A Story of Perseverance and Motion

The story of Threeways Shipping is ultimately one of perseverance.

From operating in an era of limited infrastructure to navigating fuel price volatility, regional trade shifts, regulatory reforms, and fleet modernization — survival required foresight and discipline.

Many logistics firms that began in the 1990s no longer exist today. Market consolidation, capital constraints, and operational risks have reshaped the industry.

Reaching thirty years signals institutional memory, trusted partnerships, and operational credibility.

It speaks to drivers who covered millions of kilometres, mechanics who kept fleets roadworthy against odds, operations teams who planned routes before GPS systems, and clients who entrusted cargo through uncertain terrain.

Growth did not happen overnight — it moved load by load.

 

Linking Past, Present, and the Road Ahead

Anniversaries invite reflection, but they also demand forward vision.

Uganda’s logistics future is being shaped by oil and gas development, railway revitalization, digital cargo tracking, regional export expansion, and green transport transitions. Threeways Shipping is there, deep in every corner. Companies with deep operational roots are best positioned to lead this next phase.

It demonstrates that after thirty years, the company is still moving — not just on highways, but alongside the growth currents that define Uganda’s progress.

In many ways, the company’s journey has unfolded like a long-distance walk — steady and purposeful, at times uphill, yet always pressing forward. Three decades on, it stands not as a destination reached, but as a milestone passed. The road ahead remains open, stretching toward new horizons and fresh tests of endurance. And as it marks thirty years, the question lingers with quiet confidence: could Threeways Shipping one day walk its way to a century?