Centre for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain - Africa

Workshop: Building and Defending African Context Specific Theory in Business and Management Research
2025-08-20 10:00 - 2025-08-21 15:00 UTC | CARISCA Accra Office
In business and management research, Africa has often been treated as a site for applying Western theories rather than developing its own. For African scholars, there is a growing imperative not only to produce knowledge but to anchor that knowledge in the unique realities of the continent.
Africa has too often been treated as merely a setting for applying Western theories. But its distinctive institutional environments, informal economies, and indigenous practices call for a shift from theory application to theory building.
Constructing African context-specific theory means developing frameworks that are grounded in African realities frameworks that reflect how firms innovate, lead, and succeed amid deep complexity and limited resources. Defending these theories is equally vital: it ensures that they are recognized and respected in global academic discourse, helping to rebalance the dominance of Western perspectives.
Africa is not just a backdrop for research. It is a rich, underutilized source of theory. Grounding your research in African contexts enables you to generate insights that are locally relevant and globally significant.
This session will be led by Nathaniel Boso, PhD, a leading African scholar whose work has shaped global conversations in international business and marketing. Boso will discuss how to build theory that captures the African business experience and how to defend that theory in journals, conferences, and global academic forums.
The training will cover:

Understand the importance of contextualizing business and management research in Africa.
Learn practical frameworks for developing Africa-centered theories.
Gain strategies to defend and publish Africa-focused research.
Connect with a network of scholars and practitioners passionate about African knowledge creation.
Be empowered to challenge dominant narratives and contribute original, globally relevant research questions.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped to move from applying external theories to actively building and championing African knowledge for Africa and the world.
This is a hybrid event. In-person seats are limited. Register to secure your spot. In-person: KNUST Accra Office, KNUST Guest House, Osu || Virtually via Zoom.
About the speaker:
Nathaniel Boso is a globally recognized scholar whose research focuses on the intersection of international entrepreneurship, industrial marketing, and supply chain strategy. His work has appeared in top journals such as the Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of International Business Studies, and the International Journal of Production Economics.
Boso has received numerous international accolades for his scholarship. In 2021, his article “(How) Does Africa Matter for International Business Scholarship?” won the Academy of International Business Insight Outstanding Article Award. In 2019, he authored the Journal of International Marketing article recognized for making the most significant contribution to the field that year.
He currently serves as the OR Tambo Africa Research Chair and director of CARISCA. He also holds academic appointments at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and Strathmore University in Kenya.

The Future of Supply Chain Planning: Harnessing Data, Technology, and Human Insight
2025-09-30 17:00 - 18:30
The rapid evolution of technology is transforming supply chain operations. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital platforms now help businesses monitor products, anticipate needs, and respond rapidly. Machines recognize patterns, while humans provide intent and context.
At the next Distinguished Lecture Series on September 30, Prince Boadu, CSCP, CMILT, will present “The Future of Supply Chain Planning: Harnessing Data, Technology, and Human Insight.”
Computers can detect demand surges or transport delays, but they cannot resolve broader issues such as sustainability, priorities, or reputation risks. Boadu will highlight why digital tools cannot replace human judgment.
During the lecture, Boadu will cite examples of leading enterprises such as Amazon, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, and Zara, which showcase the balance between digital tools and human expertise.
His message is clear: the future of supply chain planning is not machines against humans. Progress lies in collaboration, blending digital speed with human insight to ensure resilience.
About the speaker
Prince Boadu is a Program Manager for Supply Chain at Google, where he plays a key role in powering the tech behind the cloud. Based in the EMEA region, Boadu leads the development and delivery of high performance electrical, mechanical, and HVAC systems at Google. He has over decade experience within the supply chain space across multiple industries.
Before joining Google, Boadu held strategic supply chain roles at global giants like Merck KGaA, Procter & Gamble and myTomorrows. He has experience in both the rigor of large corporations and the agility of startups across Germany and the Netherlands.
Boadu co-founded Kumasi Hive, a hardware innovation hub in Ghana that empowers entrepreneurs to turn ideas into tangible products. There, he and his team championed rapid prototyping, hardware design, and tech-enabled entrepreneurship, proving that meaningful impact starts at the grassroots.
In 2016, Boadu was recognized in the FORBES Africa 30 under 30 list of young entrepreneurs championing impact and change. He is also an Atlantic Dialogues Emerging leading under the auspices of the Policy for New South (PCNS), Morocco. Boadu is a member of the Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (CILT) and the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM).

Framework for Analyzing and Addressing Methodological Challenges in OSCM Research on African Contexts
2025-11-17 16:00 - 18:00
Research in operations and supply chain management (OSCM) is shaped by widely recognized methodological conventions. Some of these conventions come from general scientific principles, while others have developed through disciplinary traditions. These conventions continue to be reinforced by the academic environments that have historically led the OSCM field.
However, research conducted in African contexts often encounters challenges when these conventions are applied without adjustment. Publication gatekeepers may evaluate African-based studies using the same expectations applied to research conducted in more represented contexts. As a result, researchers can face two main difficulties: conducting the research itself in environments that differ from assumed norms and demonstrating adherence to conventions that may not fully align with the realities of their context. In some cases, the unique features of African settings make adapting or departing from standard conventions both necessary and appropriate.
On November 17, Dr. Dominic Essuman, a lecturer from the University of Sheffield, will introduce a practical framework for understanding and addressing these methodological challenges. The framework draws from multi-sourced Africa-specific data and is designed to support scholars in navigating research design, execution, and publication in leading OSCM journals.
Dr. Essuman will discuss two major sets of methodological challenges: those associated with the researcher’s institutional environment and those shaped by the resource environment. The session will highlight how certain limitations can be transformed into opportunities that strengthen research quality and relevance in African contexts.
Participants will gain practical guidance on when to adopt existing methodological conventions, when to adapt them to fit context, and when to innovate entirely new approaches. The session will also emphasize how to clearly communicate methodological decisions and reasoning to publication gatekeepers while maintaining rigor and scholarly confidence.
About the Speaker
Dr. Dominic Essuman is an Editor of the Africa Initiative of the International Journal of Operations & Production Management and a Lecturer in Sustainable Management at the University of Sheffield. His research has been published in leading journals including the Journal of International Business Studies, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Journal of Business Logistics, International Journal of Production Economics, and Supply Chain Management: An International Journal.
He holds a Ph.D. in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) in the UK. Dr. Essuman is deeply committed to advancing OSCM scholarship across Africa and has collaborated with CARISCA to deliver multiple research capacity-building programs.

Continuing Professional Development - Introduction to Supply Chain Analytics
2025-11-20 14:00 - 17:00
CARISCA CPDs Are Back!
CARISCA is excited to announce the return of our Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses!
To kick things off, we’re introducing two free introductory sessions open to all our stakeholders and the public. These sessions are designed to build foundational knowledge in key areas of supply chain management and prepare participants for future in-depth CPD offerings.
Introduction to Supply Chain Analytics
Date: November 20, 2025Time: 2–5 p.m. GMTMode: Online via ZoomRegister: bit.ly/CARISCACPDs
As supply chains become more data-driven, analytics skills are essential for informed decision-making. This course introduces participants to the fundamentals of Supply Chain Analytics from data collection to analysis for operational and strategic improvement.
Facilitator
Dr. John Serbe MarfoSenior Lecturer, KNUST School of Business
Dr John Serbe Marfo is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems at the KNUST School of Business. He has a PhD in Information Systems. He is a researcher and a consultant in supply chain digitalization, information systems, health informatics, big data analytics and eLearning. His recent research work in supply chain digitalization focuses on the use of drone technology as a logistics tool to improve health care delivery and supply chains.
Learn more about our other CPD course, Introduction to Reverse Logistics

Supply Chain Design, Digital Twins and Stress Testing for Resilience
2025-11-24 17:00 - 18:30
Supply chains move materials and goods from origin to consumption. They deliver products that feed us, keep us healthy, and support our daily lives. Efficient supply chains are vital for strong economies and stable communities.
However, designing and managing supply chains is challenging. Today’s world faces frequent disruptions such as extreme weather, pandemics, and geopolitical tensions. These events test how well supply chains can adapt and recover.
On November 24, Professor Chelsea C. White III (Chip) will discuss “Supply Chain Design, Digital Twins, & Stress Testing for Resilience.” He will explain how to design supply chains that deliver quality products efficiently and remain resilient during disruptions.
The presentation will begin with an overview of how supply chains are structured and operated. It will then explore how to manage risks and recover from disruptions effectively. Professor White will use the semiconductor industry as a key example, highlighting its complexity and global challenges.
He will introduce digital twins, virtual models that represent real supply chains. These models help organizations test different scenarios and identify weak points before real disruptions occur. Participants will learn the steps to create digital twins of supply chains, facilities, and manufacturing processes.
The session will also explain the Bullwhip Effect, showing how small changes in demand can cause large fluctuations upstream. Attendees will discover how this effect impacts suppliers and overall performance.
By the end of the presentation, participants will understand how digital tools can strengthen resilience, improve decision-making, and reduce risk in supply chain operations.
About the Speaker
Professor Chelsea C. White III (Chip) is the Schneider National Chair of Transportation & Logistics at Georgia Institute of Technology. He is also a Professor in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
He has received multiple IEEE Lifetime Achievement Awards and is a Fellow of IEEE and INFORMS. He has served on several global boards, including Con-way, Inc., the ITS World Congress, and the World Economic Forum Trade Facilitation Council.
His current research focuses on Next-Generation digital twin platforms that improve supply chain performance and resilience. Professor White combines academic insight with industry experience to help build smarter, stronger supply chains.

Continuing Professional Development - Introduction to Reverse Logistics
2025-12-04 14:00 - 17:00
CARISCA CPDs Are Back!
CARISCA is excited to announce the return of our Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses!To kick things off, we’re introducing two free introductory sessions open to all our stakeholders and the public. These sessions are designed to build foundational knowledge in key areas of supply chain management and prepare participants for future in-depth CPD offerings.
Introduction to Reverse Logistics
Date: December 4, 2025Time: 2–5 p.m. GMTMode: Online via ZoomRegister: bit.ly/CARISCACPDs
Reverse logistics is gaining importance as organizations pursue sustainability and circular supply chain strategies. This course introduces participants to the concepts and processes involved in managing the flow of products and materials back through the supply chain.
Facilitator
Dr. Simon Peter NadeemSenior Program Manager, LEARN Logistics by the Kühne Foundation
He oversees the PhD program across several countries in Africa, supports CARSICA, and leads the development of academic research activities across the region.
Dr Nadeem is an established academic with extensive teaching and research experience. His last academic role was as a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) at the University of Derby, United Kingdom.
Dr Nadeem’s academic expertise and research interests span Operations Management, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Circular Economy, Sustainability, and Business Process Reengineering. Dr Nadeem is an active researcher with international collaborations and has published in high-ranking peer-reviewed journals. He is also frequently invited as a Keynote Speaker at international conferences and academic institutions.
Learn more about our othe CPD course, Introduction to Supply Chain Analytics

Research Capacity-Building Workshop with guest editors from IJLM
2026-02-11 14:00 - 16:00
On February 11, 2026, CARISCA will host a Research Capacity-Building Workshop featuring guest editors from The International Journal of Logistics Management (IJLM). The workshop is designed to strengthen the research skills and publication readiness of faculty and graduate students across Africa.
In this context, the upcoming workshop will introduce participants to the role and importance of paper development workshops for scholarly publishing. The session will feature key statistics on submissions to IJLM, including acceptance and rejection rates and will highlight the most common reasons for desk rejections.
The workshop will then examine the techniques and methodologies valued by leading supply chain journals. Special attention will be given to IJLM’s requirements, supported by examples of published papers featuring African contexts. These examples illustrate how rigorous empirical research can generate original insights that advance the field.
Participants will also explore how to position contributions that address local, practical supply chain challenges while advancing theory in operations and supply chain management. Aligning context-specific relevance with theoretical contribution remains a core expectation across top journals.
Finally, the session will conclude with guidance on formatting and submission standards. Using examples from the current IJLM special issue, editors will outline key structural and stylistic elements required of successful manuscripts.
About the Speakers
Prof. MJ Naude is a full professor in the School of Commerce, specializing in Supply Chain Management across undergraduate, postgraduate, master’s and PhD levels. Her expertise spans purchasing, operations and logistics management. She is an NRF-rated researcher with publications and conference presentations in South Africa and abroad. Prof. Naude has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Contemporary Management and the Journal of Transport and Supply Chain Management.
Célestin ELOCK SON is associate professor of logistics and supply chain management at the Institute of Technology (IUT) of Moselle-Est, Université de Lorraine, France. He is a member of CEREFIGE, and his research focuses on food supply chains and emerging distribution models driven by digitalization and Industry 4.0. He is currently a Guest Editor for The International Journal of Logistics Management.

2026 Supply Chain Research Summit
2026-07-06 - 2026-07-08
CARISCA’s annual Supply Chain Research Summit is central to our goal of strengthening African supply chain capacity and advancing Africa’s supply chain research globally.
On July 6-8, 2026, CARISCA will host the sixth Annual Supply Chain Research Summit in Ghana. The 2025 summit, held in Lagos, Nigeria, attracted approximately 350 participants from 17 countries, 87 institutions, and 38 higher education institutions worldwide, featuring more than 81 presentations.
In 2026, we are moving the summit back to Ghana, to welcome and accommodate even more supply chain scholars, students, professionals and decision makers to one of Africa’s emerging economies. As in previous summits, the 2026 Summit will be a hybrid event, to be held in person, and virtually via Zoom.
The 2026 summit is envisioned to take a deeper look at how artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are transforming supply chains and organizations across the continent.
Visit the Summit website: summit2026.carisca.org
