Industry experts from across Africa convened in Nigeria to explore innovative and applicable ways of reimagining the continent’s supply chains for a sustainable future.
The 2025 Research Summit by the Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA) courted knowledge to address weak legal frameworks, limited research supports, limited supply chain inclusion, and inefficient systems.
The summit liaised academic researchers and industry professionals into collaboration, and actionable strategies to advance Africa’s supply chain resilience and global competitiveness.
The fifth annual Supply Chain Research Summit was themed: “Reimagining Africa’s Supply Chains for a Sustainable Future,” with a focus on general, sectoral, global emerging issues, practitioner and policy discourse on African supply chain.
With experts’ assemblage, research and knowledge inputs, strengthening African supply chain capacity and advancing Africa’s supply chain research globally became the principal vision.
Senior Technical Advisor to CARISCA, Professor Adegoke Oke, explained that CARISCA has pivoted around four components that ensure inclusive and all-rounded supply chain development.
CARISCA focused on three main areas: research capacity building, the second component is engagement, where businesses, governments, and all the other stakeholders are involved.
Then programs, thus developing new degrees, and providing continued education.
“After a couple of years, we headed a fourth one, inclusion; to encourage minorities, women, and marginalized people, who normally do not get into supply chain management education, and encouraging them to be educated in supply chain. So, all African scholars are encouraged to take advantage of this,” he said.
The keynote speakers included Dr. Obiora Madu, Founder and CEO of Multimix Academy and Director General of the African Centre for Supply Chain (ACSC), who addressed the topic: “Reimagining Africa’s supply chains for a sustainable future.”
Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Ekiti State, Nigeria, Dr. Oyebanji Filani, addressed “Enhancing Quality and Expanding Access: how pooled purchasing by states can strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare delivery.”
Director of Supply Chain at Fidson Pharmaceuticals, Raphael Ajayi, addressed the topic: managing supply chain challenges in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry.
Dean of the School of Transport and Logistics, Lagos State University, Professor Charles Ojima Asenime presented on the topic: “Catechizing Nigeria’s transport resources and sustainable freight logistics.”
Other addresses were given by the Managing Director of Lelook Nigeria Limited, Chief Mrs. Chinwe Ezenwa, and Dean of Lagos Business School, Professor Olayinka David-West.
Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Ekiti State, Nigeria, Dr. Oyebanji Filani highlighted long-term policy directions to secure the progress in supply chain in healthcare, to make up for shrinking donor support and global crises.
He emphasized the essence of partnerships to chart sustainability pathways of the supply chain.
“Sustainability essentially cannot be outsourced; we must invest in systems that outlive projects, transcend politics, and the four-year range of governance. Already, public-private partnership for medicines access is currently underway and transforming supply chains,” he said.
“The age of dependency is ending. Shrinking donor support is not our downfall. It is our turning point. It is time for us as a country to own the systems that serve our people. We must reimagine supply chains, not as fragile webs vulnerable to disruptions, but as resilient, adaptive systems rooted in local capacity, trust and shared purpose,” he added.
CARISCA has witnessed growth in terms of the number of presentations with the 2025 edition, including over 100 presentations.
The event also included 3 panel sessions, Special Issue Session, and exhibition.
New at the 2025 Supply Chain Research Summit: The CARISCA Best Paper Award
CARISCA 2025 introduced the Best Paper Award, recognizing exceptional research in supply chain management.
The inaugural award was presented to Henry Kofi Mensah, PhD, from KNUST and his research team for their paper titled: “Technological Capabilities and Supply Chain Value Creation: Exploring the Roles of Circular Economy Practices and Organizational Climate.”
The award was sponsored by the International Journal of Logistics Management (IJLM) and presented by Associate Editor Prof. Nachiappan Subramanian of the University of Sussex.
This was a selection among finalists; Carolina Moreno Suárez, Beatrice Mbinya, and Amaka Agusiobo, who also made exceptional contributions.
Dissertation Awards
The PhD Dissertation Competition at CARISCA’s Supply Chain Research Summit showcases outstanding logistics and supply chain management PhD research from African higher education institutions.
CARISCA recognized a winner and two runners-ups with a certificate and stipend at the 2025 summit.
The Winner was Esther Lartey, of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, who explored the topic: “Implementation of Circular Economy Within the Framework of Adaptive System Theory.”
Director of CARISCA, Nathaniel Boso, acknowledging partners, said, “Our sponsors and partners have been great supporters of our event this year, and we are grateful.”
The 2025 Event was in collaboration with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, LEARN Logistics by Kühne Foundation, Arizona State University, Africa Resource Center for Excellence in Supply Chain Management (ARC_ESM), Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria, and Lagos State University (LASU).
Other sponsors include: Headline, LEARN Logistics | by Kühne Foundation. Platinum, Africa Resource Center for Excellence in Supply Chain Management (ARC_ESM), Arizona State University, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc., and Kaizen Institute East and West Africa.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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