Supply chain researchers, practitioners and policymakers from around the globe will be gathering in Accra, Ghana, June 4-6 to share the latest research in their field. The occasion is the fourth annual Supply Chain Research Summit organized by the Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain – Africa (CARISCA) (https://CARISCA.Knust.edu.gh/).

More than 950 people from 48 countries have registered to attend the hybrid summit, roughly half of them in person and half virtually. The theme of this year’s conference is “Africa’s Supply Chain Resilience for Economic Transformation.”

The summit is central to CARISCA’s goal to integrate Africa’s supply chain research into mainstream research and strengthen African supply chain capacity. It is the largest academic supply chain conference on the continent.

“Africa’s economic transformation is likely to be dependent on its capacity to build resilience in its supply chains to absorb and recover from global and local disruptions,” says Nathaniel Boso, director of CARISCA at KNUST. “That is why we set resilience as the theme of this year’s conference.”

A record number of over 140 research papers will be delivered at the summit this year. In addition to these presentations, the conference will feature three keynote speakers, a journal editors panel, a women in supply chain panel, a session on the Ghana and Kenya Logistics Managers Indexes, a PhD Dissertation Awards competition, and much more.

Keynote speakers for the conference are:

Lydiah Kiburu, group director for business transformation, brand&culture for Equity Group Holdings Plc based in Kenya, who will speak on “Leveraging Technology and Innovation to Build Resilient Supply Chains in Africa”

Glenn Richey, Harbert Eminent Scholar in Supply Chain Management at Auburn University in the U.S., who will talk about “Responsiveness, Organizational Learning and AI: The Future of Supply Chain Strategy”

Faith Mashele, faculty member at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science, whose presentation is titled “Harmonise Policies, Leverage Heritage: How Can Africa Drive Resilient Supply Chains?”

At the conference dinner on June 5, Atoapem Frimpong Barimah, senior manager of supply chain operations for Newmont Africa, will address the question, “Has Transformation Ever Been Achieved Without Supply Chain?” Barimah was recently named one of the top three most influential procurement leaders in Africa by the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply.

“The Supply Chain Research Summit is a can’t-miss event for supply chain management scholars from Africa and around the world,” says Dale Rogers, CARISCA’s executive director and ON Semiconductor Professor of Business at Arizona State University. “In only a few years, it has become the place where new research ideas relevant to Africa are developed and presented.”

The in-person conference venue is the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City. In-person registration is full, but virtual registration will be open through the end of the summit. Learn more and register at https://apo-opa.co/4aFFpsi

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Center for Applied Research&Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA).

Contact:
Christa Agyemang
+233 55 168 5860
cagyemang@carsica.knust.edu.gh

CARISCA is a partnership between Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and Arizona State University, with support from the United States Agency for International Development. The CARISCA center at KNUST aspires to become a globally recognized, locally owned hub for generating and translating innovative research into positive development outcomes for Ghana and pan-African supply chains, driving country self-reliance.

For the second year in a row, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has emerged as a double winner at the African Banker Awards, winning both the ‘Bank of the Year’ and ‘Deal of the Year (Infrastructure)’ awards. This prestigious recognition was announced at the awards gala ceremony held in Nairobi and attended by over 300 of the continent’s leading figures in banking and finance. 

The award organisers highlighted Afreximbank’s exceptional performance across various metrics, key among them, “considerably changing the banking landscape by reaching out to new customers, offering new services, adopting inclusiveness by bringing the unbanked into the banking space, making use of new technologies, and helping to drive growth through a stronger financial sector.”  

The Bank of the Year award reflects Afreximbank’s outstanding financial performance, as the Group’s results for the financial year ending 31 December 2023 showed remarkable strength and resilience, surpassing the previous year’s performance.

In the Deal of the Year – Infrastructure category, Afreximbank was honored for its USD 155 million investment in Great Horn Investments Holding (GHIH). This funding supports a series of development projects in Djibouti’s Damerjog Industrial Development Free Trade Zone. The deal was announced last year following a meeting between Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict Oramah and President of Djibouti Omar Guelleh, during the 2023 Summit of Heads of State of the African Union that was also held in Nairobi.

Speaking during the award ceremony, Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of Board of Directors, Afreximbank noted: “We are extremely delighted to win both the Bank of the Year and The Deal of the Year for Infrastructure as these awards underscore our expertise in development financing. I accept these awards on behalf of the hardworking staff of Afreximbank, our customers and partners, and also the Alliance for African Multilateral Financial Institutions who work tirelessly to make the change that Africa needs. Many of our members have excelled in tonight’s ceremony and this demonstrates the magnitude of their continual contribution towards meeting the development needs of our great continent — including infrastructure, trade, SME lending among others.”

The Deal of the Year – Infrastructure award is particularly significant for Afreximbank as it marks the Bank’s first collaboration with GHIH and the government of Djibouti. This partnership aims to help Djibouti achieve its goal of becoming a regional trans-shipment and logistics hub. This project will greatly promote intra-African trade, given Djibouti’s strategic location in the horn of Africa and support neighbouring economies such as Ethiopia and Somalia through access to freight services.

The facility is critical to Djibouti’s economic development as the funds will be used for the completion of the Damerjog Oil Jetty, expected to provide marine connectivity to the free trade zone, and for the construction of a 150,000m³ first storage depot/oil tank farm, as well as for other costs related to the projects. This will greatly help develop Djibouti’s infrastructure and its vision of becoming a ‘regional transport hub’ by 2035.

Now in its 18th edition, the African Banker Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and institutions that have contributed significantly to the growth and development of Africa’s Banking sector over the past year.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

Media Contact:
Vincent Musumba
Manager
Communications and Events (Media Relations)
Email: press@afreximbank.com
Tel: +20 2 24564100 /1/2/3

About Afreximbank:
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra-and extra-African trade. For 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialization and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank is setting up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2023, Afreximbank’s total assets and guarantees stood at over US$37.3 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$6.1 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa1), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure (together, “the Group”). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.

For more information, visit: www.Afreximbank.com

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UCOPIA by Weblib, a leader in Wi-Fi connectivity solutions and customer experience management, is proud to announce its participation in the inaugural edition of GITEX Africa 2024 (www.GITEXAfrica.com), which will take place from May 29 to 31, 2024, in Marrakech, Morocco.

GITEX Africa, an extension of the renowned global tech event GITEX Global from Dubai, is a must-attend event for key players in technological innovation across Africa and beyond. This exhibition brings together global tech leaders, innovative startups, investors, and decision-makers to explore emerging trends and growth opportunities in the sector.

UCOPIA by Weblib, recognized for its advanced solutions in connectivity and user experience management, seizes this opportunity to showcase its latest innovations. At the core of its offerings are intelligent Wi-Fi solutions that enable businesses across all sectors to transform their connectivity into real value for their customers.

Cutting-Edge Connectivity Solutions for African Businesses

UCOPIA by Weblib will highlight its flagship products as well as its key advantages:

Secure and customizable solutions allowing businesses to provide high-quality Wi-Fi connections to their customers while collecting valuable data to enhance the user experience.
Powerful tools to analyze and optimize the customer journey using insights based on data collected via Wi-Fi networks.
Solutions ensuring compliance with local and international regulations, thus guaranteeing secure and responsible use of Wi-Fi networks.
Stable and high-performance solutions capable of efficiently managing high-density environments with hundreds, if not thousands, of simultaneous Wi-Fi connections.

A Strategic Presence for Expansion in Africa

Participation in GITEX Africa 2024 marks an important milestone in UCOPIA by Weblib’s expansion strategy in Africa. With a rapidly growing market and an increasing demand for advanced technological solutions, the African continent represents a significant opportunity for the company.

“We are delighted to participate in GITEX Africa 2024 and to have the opportunity to demonstrate how our solutions can transform the connectivity experience for businesses in Africa,” said Antoine Villatte, Channel Manager for the Southern France and Francophone Africa region at UCOPIA by Weblib. “Our presence at this exhibition underscores our commitment to supporting innovation and technological development on the African continent.”

Meet UCOPIA by Weblib at GITEX Africa 2024

UCOPIA by Weblib invites all GITEX Africa participants to visit their stand, shared with their partner SCOMM, to discover their connectivity solutions and discuss collaboration opportunities. Live demonstrations and networking sessions will be organized to provide visitors with an immersive and informative experience.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GITEX Africa.

Azentio Software (“Azentio“) (https://apo-opa.co/454Mz8j) – a leading end-to-end software company specializing in the BFSI sector – today announces the appointment of Rahul Arora as its new Chief Sales Officer. This move further strengthens Azentio’s leadership team as Arora spearheads sales expansion and growth in alignment with the company’s vision.

Speaking on his new role, Arora said, “I am excited to be joining the team at Azentio as Chief Sales Officer as they drive the future of transforming businesses through technology in the BFSI sector. I look forward to leveraging my experience and working alongside our talented sales team to grow revenues and continue to expand our market presence. I am confident in the outstanding business value Azentio’s products can deliver to our customers and am committed to building deep customer engagements and building for future growth.”

Sanjay Singh, Chief Executive Officer of Azentio, commented, “I am delighted to welcome Rahul to Azentio as our Chief Sales Officer. His expertise and background in managing and growing sales functions globally coupled with his in-depth knowledge of our key markets make him an ideal fit for this role. I see Arora’s extensive experience in new business development, crafting customer relationships, and dedication to execution as playing a pivotal role in the future growth of Azentio.”

With over 25 years of experience in the IT industry, Arora has championed several key customer initiatives as well as built the go-to-market strategies needed for targeting industry specific business opportunities. In his previous role at Trellix (McAfee Enterprise + FireEye) as their first Managing Director for South Asia, he was instrumental in building exceptional pipeline growth, ensuring solid sales execution, and driving customer relationships to achieve sustainable growth.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Azentio Software Private Limited.

About Azentio Software:
Azentio Software, incorporated in 2020 at Singapore, has been carved out of 3i Infotech, Candela Labs, Beyontec Technologies and Path Solutions. Azentio Software provides mission critical, vertical-specific software products for customers in banking, financial services and insurance verticals. Azentio has over 800 customers in more than 60 countries, with a team of over 2,300 employees across offices in 12 countries (and growing) globally and is wholly owned by Funds advised by Apax Partners.