Professor Douglas Boateng to deliver Made in Africa speech in Zambia
Professor Douglas Boateng is set to deliver a keynote speech at a professional gathering of supply chain and industrialisation specialists in Livingstone, Zambia. The event is expected to bring together procurement specialists, policymakers, company executives, academics and decision-makers from various African countries.
A shared identity for products
As MyJoyOnline reports, the theme of Boateng’s speech is “Breaking Barriers Through Made in Africa.” He plans to urge manufacturers to gradually label goods made on the continent with a shared Made in Africa identity, indicating the country of production — for example, “Made in Africa, Produced in Ghana,” “Made in Africa, Produced in Nigeria,” or “Made in Africa, Produced in Zambia.”
According to the professor, the country of production indicates a product’s origin, while Made in Africa should signify its belonging to a shared African economic family. He stressed that national pride and pan-African economic identity should complement each other rather than compete.
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Procurement and industrialisation
Boateng argues that customs posts and trade agreements alone are insufficient for genuine continental integration. In his view, psychological, procurement and institutional barriers that prevent Africans from producing goods for one another, trading them and buying them with confidence must be removed.
The professor is also expected to urge participants to view procurement decisions as a factor in industrialisation. According to him, institutional spending affects which businesses receive demand, whose workers retain their jobs and where future manufacturing capacity will be developed. Boateng believes that Africa cannot continue exporting raw materials, importing finished products and at the same time complain about a lack of jobs for young people.
John Kirani, Secretary-General of the African Supply Chain Confederation, called the gathering an opportunity to connect the continent’s professional capacity with its industrial goals. According to him, Boateng’s speech will encourage the consolidation of national manufacturing capabilities into a stronger African economic ecosystem.
