CARISCA hosts second affinity group: transport and logistics experts gather in Nigeria to discuss improvements for urban transport systems.
Improving Transport Systems, Breaking Gridlocks
The Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain – Africa (CARISCA) aims to produce locally relevant research that significantly improves the efficiency and effectiveness of supply chains in Ghana and across Africa.
Stakeholder engagement is a crucial activity for CARISCA. It creates a platform for supply chain professionals to voice their challenges and share their ideas on making the supply chain more efficient.
One way CARISCA engages with stakeholders is through Affinity Group meetings. These meetings are opportunities for the center to interact with professionals working in a specific sector of the supply chain, with the goal of producing locally relevant solutions.
In August 2022, CARISCA hosted its second affinity group meeting, with transport and logistics experts in Nigeria. The topic of discussion: “The Impact of Urban Transport Systems on Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs) Supply Chains.”
Although CARISCA is based at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, its focus extends to all parts of Africa.
“CARISCA does not have Ghana in its name but rather Africa,” said Adegoke Oke, one of CARISCA’s senior technical advisors based at Arizona State University. “That’s one of the reasons we are here today. CARISCA started in Ghana but intends to be a Pan-African initiative.”
Participants met for five hours, sharing their thoughts and views on Nigeria’s transport systems.
The event had four presenters. They spoke on transport systems in Lagos state; city logistics and last-mile delivery in Lagos; transportation planning, policy and regulations; and technology in the FMCG.
“The topics of discussion are of great interest,” said Abdul Muntaka, a CARISCA senior technical advisor based at KNUST. “The presentations kept everyone in their seats. Everyone at the event needed a solution to the challenge; these were academicians, policymakers, regulators and professionals.”
Next steps: Making Policy Changes
After in-depth discussions at these stakeholder meetings, CARISCA senior technical advisors and research faculty work hand in hand to provide solutions to the challenges identified.
CARISCA team members will collaborate with faculty from the Lagos State University School of Transport and the Lagos Business School in Nigeria to produce a practitioner paper on how the transport systems in the country can be improved.
“This report will enable policymakers to see the possible solutions that, at the end, will bring the change we are all looking for,” said John Serbe Marfo, senior technical advisor who leads CARISCA’s stakeholder engagements.
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