Made In Africa: Prof. Douglas Boateng to address the continent’s largest supply chain and industrialisation professional gathering
In a keynote address in Livingstone, Zambia, the leading Pan-African governance strategist will challenge thousands of supply chain and procurement leaders across the continent: “We cannot keep exporting the seed and importing the fruit.”
Douglas Boateng, a professor, is scheduled to give a keynote speech at what is anticipated to be the most significant professional assembly on supply chain and industrialization in Africa. This event, to be held in Livingstone, Zambia, will gather procurement experts, policymakers, corporate leaders, scholars, and decision-makers from across the continent.
His address, titled "Breaking Down Barriers Through Made in Africa," aims to convey that products manufactured in Africa should increasingly bear the label MADE IN AFRICA, with the country of production specified, such as MADE IN AFRICA Produced in Ghana or MADE IN AFRICA Produced in Nigeria. The professor contends that national pride and Pan-African economic identity should complement each other, rather than compete.
He argues that true continental integration necessitates more than just customs and trade agreements; it requires dismantling the psychological, procurement, and institutional barriers that prevent Africans from producing, trading, and buying from one another. Boateng challenges the attendees, who include thousands of supply chain and procurement professionals, to view their decisions as pivotal to industrialization.
He emphasizes that every substantial procurement decision is essentially an industrialization decision, affecting which factories receive demand, where workers remain employed, and where future productive capabilities will be built. John Kirani, the Secretary General of the African Supply Chain Confederation (ASCON), views the gathering as a chance to link Africa's professional abilities with its broader industrial goals.
Kirani states that the conference is about connecting Africa's professional expertise with its broader industrial aspirations, using the professor's address to inspire delegates to integrate national productive strength into a more robust African economic ecosystem. Boateng is clear: "The Africa we wish to see will not just show up at our ports in containers.
We must conceive it, finance it, source it, produce it, and proudly trade it ourselves." He encourages delegates to learn and compete globally while producing African goods. Concluding with a NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom) theme, he urges delegates to recognize the continent from which the drum originated, but also to ensure the world knows that the drumbeat is African.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
