To improve decision-making at the highest levels, the Centre for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA) is leading a more intensive interaction with industry actors and policymakers.
Professor Nathaniel Boso, the center's director, said that CARISCA will henceforth create policy briefs based on their published research efforts for dissemination in mainstream media to advise policy.
Moving ahead, we have opted to produce what we call policy briefs, which may be published in news sources or any other medium that can be quickly accessed by policy makers, rather than publishing academic papers.
We will also produce various industry studies for the industries to examine so they may base their judgments on factual data. The subject of this year's summit is "How Africa Matters to the Global Supply Chain."
General supply networks, sectoral supply chains, and growing difficulties in international supply chains were the three themes covered at the seminar.
Prof. Boso also thinks that if the government makes investments in the nation's logistical infrastructure, the economy would expand.
"We can advise decision-makers that if they invest in the nation's logistical infrastructure, they also invest in the logistics human capital, which can advance the nation to a point where the flow of products and services is more effective.
"You may expect economic growth to occur if you have efficient circulation of commodities and services across the economy," he remarked.
Policy changes are needed, according to Dr. Abdul Samed Muntaka, a senior technical advisor on agricultural supply at CARISCA.
He said that intermediaries are to blame for the high pricing of commodities.
"We need to search for mechanisms that enable farmers to obtain a fair price, be able to receive value for their output, and also convey the goods to people in need.
Even in Kumasi, it becomes difficult to locate a convenient location to sell the corn.
"You discover that the price is excessive as a result of the middlemen. A farmer requires a commodity like corn from Ejura, but by the time it gets to Kumasi, the maize has undergone three changes.
In order to establish a supply chain management research centre, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Arizona State University, and the Center for Applied Research and Innovation Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA) are working together on a five-year initiative with funding from USAID.
Their main goal is to provide universities with the tools they need to offer degree programmes and training that are of the highest calibre, to facilitate research, to involve stakeholders in best practises and policy changes that strengthen supply chains, and to increase the participation of women in supply chain management.
CARISCA will increase decision-makers' interaction with industries and policymakers.
The previous conference had more than 300 supply chain academics and students from 40 different nations. More than 400 individuals signed up for the event this year.
blogpay
