SE Valley Times

Arizona State University (ASU) has collaborated with Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) for the past four years to enhance supply chain management in Africa. This partnership aims to boost research and practices across the continent.

Recently, faculty from ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business hosted their Ghanaian counterparts in Washington, D.C., and Arizona. The visit was part of a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), known as the Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain – Africa (CARISCA).

John Serbe Marfo, a lecturer at KNUST, expressed enthusiasm about applying his experiences from ASU back home. “I’m very excited to go back home after what I’ve seen and experienced while at ASU,” he said.

The CARISCA initiative is a five-year, $15 million project involving ASU’s Department of Supply Chain Management and KNUST’s Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems. Dale Rogers, the project's principal investigator, noted that this collaboration has improved KNUST's research quality significantly.

“Through this partnership, we’ve helped KNUST’s supply chain management faculty improve the quality of their research and get into better publications,” Rogers stated.

ASU President Michael Crow's vision influenced this effort. Rogers remarked on Crow’s philosophy: “President Crow said the role of a university is not just to teach students but to develop a lifelong relationship with them.”

Since its inception in 2020, CARISCA has achieved several milestones including improving scholarly publications at KNUST, establishing a Career Services Office, creating an alumni relations program, forming industry partnerships, and providing scholarships for over 140 graduate students.

David Schlinkert, CARISCA Project Director at ASU, highlighted efforts to extend KNUST’s reach across Africa through co-created proprietary software enabling large-scale online courses.

During their stay in Arizona, the Ghanaian team engaged with W. P. Carey researchers and attended various events such as the Women in Supply Chain Symposium. They also toured innovative enterprises within ASU like Luminosity Lab and Global Futures Laboratory.

Nathaniel Boso praised these initiatives saying: “This visit to ASU showed us a completely new way of learning.”

Benjamin Ashong plans to replicate W.P. Carey’s One Button Studio at KNUST which could revolutionize teaching methods there using virtual reality technology—a sentiment echoed by Jesse Anim who believes VR can enhance student learning experiences.

Kekeli Adonu appreciated how different disciplines collaborate within ASU facilities: “There are a number of innovative spaces... where film school students... all benefit from using the same labs.”

Stephen Frimpong gained insights into commercializing academic ideas through lab visits while Amos Eghan admired ASU’s structured environment fostering professionalism among staff members.

Rogers emphasized that lessons learned will have global implications: “Improving global supply chains... has lifted a billion-and-a-half people out of poverty... And by improving people around world you actually improve things here too.”