World’s first Supply Chain Compendium launched in Accra

Chairman of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) Prof. Douglas Boateng has launched the second edition of the world’s first compendium on Supply Chain Management (SCM) in Accra.
The second edition of the book titled “Executive Insights Series: Compendium of Supply Chain Management Terms” contains thousands of detailed information and definitions to help the public and private sector officials understand and apply aspects of the supply chain management thinking to their respective values chains, support industrialisation and competitiveness, and improve service delivery quality.
Speaking at the launch of the over 900-page book, Prof. Boateng said he made the compendium to educate and enlighten people because he realised there was a general lack of understanding in supply chain management.
According to him, having already witnessed the spectacular transformations of economies like South Korea, China, Singapore, South Africa and Rwanda; he believes Ghana as a country can improve if we understand the interconnectivity between the various aspects of value chain.
“In Africa what we’ve been doing is just buying not procuring and not strategically sourcing hence our dear old continent has become a dampen ground for fake, for counterfeit products. If we do not change our mindset through supply chain thinking how are we going to be able to create the much-needed jobs for the youth of today and tomorrow; it’s because of the lack of supply chain thinking. Now it’s not just a Ghana problem or African problem; there is a general lack of understanding of supply chain management,” he added.
Having used two years to come up with the second edition, Prof. Boateng said “now I’ve travelled the world and realised that something has to be done about it and so I took it off myself to obviously come up with a dictionary. We’re all aware that doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers they all have their bible; supply chain management we don’t have one. So, I decided to develop one at my own cost. It took me 1,885 days or 5 years to develop the first compendium. The second one took me 912 days or 2 and half years to come up with the second edition at my own cost. But for me I did it for a reason, if the world understands supply chain management it will a better place for the African child”.
Prof. Boateng plans to give 275 copies of the book freely to Members of Parliament to understand supply chain management for the interest of the country.
In a speech read on behalf of the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, by the Minister of State at the Presidency, Rockson Bukari said “To reap the potential rewards from our resources, we need to innovatively apply Supply Chain Management principles to further improve the quality of government service delivery as well as foster real local value chain mechanization is support of industrialization.”.
He added that the terms, definitions and concepts of the book are not only important for understanding the role of Supply Chain Management for Ghana’s development, but also provides insights into how to potentially improve value chain efficiencies, achieve manufacturing and industrial competitiveness and accelerate growth and development in various sectors of the economy.
The handbook can be found in schools like Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, MIT, Stanford, Manchester and also African business schools. Prof. Douglas Boateng is an International Professional certified Chartered Director and an adjunct academic. Independently recognised as one of the vertical specific global strategic thinkers on supply chain management.
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