About Us
The Supply Chain Sustainability Academy in Africa is set up as a subsidiary of the International Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (IN-CSR) to build the much-needed capacity on global best practices in supply chain and procurement while developing strategic ways of mitigating any challenges. The knowledge gained from the various courses will help reduce risk exposures for organisations, increase trade and investment, and make sub–Saharan Africa a more favourable destination for foreign investment especially during the present economic uncertainties.
Membership to the Academy will give individuals and organisations access to hundreds of learning resources and CPD-accredited contents on our website. The academy also offers bespoke training, coaching and consultancy services as well as networking opportunities through our monthly webinars and annual conferences. The aim is to extend the boundaries of best practice in sustainability, by working with leading international partners who are recognised by their peers as leaders in their class.
The Academy runs on member subscriptions and allows partners to access training on ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement Certification for persons as well as specialised courses on Sustainability, Offsite, BIM, Lean and Management and offers them the opportunity to attend our webinars or in-class training and networking events, gain CPD points, complete a self- assessment and get a bespoke action plan, complete e-learning modules and access various training resources.
It is designed specifically for businesses operating in the African continent, including those exporting or importing across the region. The Supply Chain Sustainability Academy is a learning environment aimed at upskilling those working in sustainability, supply chain and procurement across all sectors.
We cover the entire supply chain and procurement process with focus on 17 key topics of sustainability, as well as addressing topics in offsite, digital integration, procurement, lean construction and management.
Mr. Eustace Onuegbu, President IN-CSR is the Head of the Supply Chain Sustainability Academy, Africa. On the 14th of September 2021, the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment, His Excellency, Chief Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, launched the Supply Chain Sustainability Academy, Africa.
The Academy is in partnership with an award winning industry wide collaboration originally launched in the United Kingdom.
Awareness, Strategy, Structure and Process are key to stakeholder engagement. We can work with organizations to audit their key stakeholders be it a global supply chain network, financial investment partner, an insurance client or licensed shipping line, then review their strategy enabling us to help to structure and put in place a CSR process which will in turn help to identify enhancement opportunities. We can then build a customized training program that allows field teams and internal stakeholders to improve performance in this critical area. Programs normally involve an initial review and assessment period followed by a classroom training session and a field mentoring period and culminating in a final classroom session. Ongoing mentoring and support is also available.
ISO 20400 Training and Certification for Persons
IN-CSR is one of PECB’s recognised training partners licensed to train individuals and organisations on a select International Organization for Standardization (ISO) courses. Recently, our lead consultant, Eustace Onuegbu, became the First Certified Lead Sustainable Procurement Manager in Africa, bagging this certification from our partner, PECB. This certification gives us the authority to train persons on ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement Lead Manager course.
PECB is a certification body for persons, management systems, and products on a wide range of international standards. As a global provider of training, examination, audit, and certification services, PECB offers its expertise on multiple fields, including but not limited to Information Security, IT, Business Continuity, Service Management, Quality Management Systems, Risk & Management, Health, Safety, and Environment.
PECB helps professionals and organisations to show commitment and competence with internationally recognised standards by providing this assurance through the education, evaluation and certification against rigorous, internationally recognised competence requirements. Their mission is to provide clients with comprehensive services that inspire trust, continual improvement, demonstrate recognition, and benefit society as a whole.
The Academy covers other six main topics: Sustainability, Management, Offsite, Digital, Procurement and Lean Construction. Under each topic, sit several sub-topics such as waste and resource efficiency, innovation and design for manufacture and assembly.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), sourcing products and services from Africa is an option that makes sense to more and more firms, both international and African, each year. Though the spikes in inward direct investment during the global financial crisis were temporary, the longer-term trend of increasing flows into Africa is set to persist. Even as the world economy was disrupted in 2020, due to the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic, which brought economic activities to a halt in most countries, with Africa not exempted from the downturn. According to data obtained from the World Bank, the Sub-Saharan African economy declined by 2.45% in 2020 from $1.85 trillion recorded in 2019 to $1.81 trillion. Also, the middle East and North Africa region recorded a 3.66% contraction in its economy to an aggregate of $3.37 trillion, yet the disruption has not discouraged inward investment.
As companies expand their supply chains into the continent, inward investment into sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow by more than a third in the next five years. Pull factors include cheap labour—unskilled wages in East Africa are approximately a tenth of those in China—and abundant raw materials. A global trend towards shorter, simpler supply chains also makes the region particularly attractive for European firms. African governments are increasingly carving out a role for the private sector in their development and industrialisation strategies and are introducing incentives such as duty-free exports and cheap land leases in target sectors. Infrastructure improvements to pave the way for further investments are in full swing, particularly in coastal areas, and the difficulties associated with exporting from African ports are diminishing slowly but surely. Large cities such as Nairobi and Lagos are also gaining access to steady broadband Internet, supporting a nascent service outsourcing sector.
Perhaps most importantly, an African middle class is emerging. Though affluent consumers with significant disposable income still represent a relatively small fraction of most African national populations, a combination of rapid wealth creation and urbanisation, particularly in regional hubs, is starting to catch the eye of some in the international business community. As a consumer market, the continent is likely to represent one of the biggest growth opportunities in coming decades, and this is starting to factor into the decisions of firms when they choose to establish or expand local production bases. Some firms are already wholeheartedly pursuing the local market, while others currently exporting from Africa are starting to explore opportunities throughout the continent.
Launched on 1 January 2021, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is an exciting game changer. Currently, Africa accounts for just 2% of global trade. And only 17% of African exports are intra-continental, compared with 59% for Asia and 68% for Europe. The potential for transformation across Africa is therefore significant. The pact will create the largest free trade area in the world measured by the number of countries participating. Connecting 1.3 billion people across 55 countries with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) valued at $3.4 trillion, the pact comes at a time when much of the world is turning away from cooperation and free trade.
The agreement aims to reduce all trade costs and enable Africa to integrate further into global supply chains – it will eliminate 90% of tariffs, focus on outstanding non-tariff barriers, and create a single market with free movement of goods and services.
Cutting red tape and simplifying customs procedures will bring significant income gains. Beyond trade, the pact also addresses the movement of persons and labour, competition, investment and intellectual property.
On the 14th of September 2021, the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment, His Excellency, Chief Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, launched the Supply Chain Sustainability Academy, Africa. Mr. Eustace Onuegbu, President IN-CSR is the Head of the Supply Chain Sustainability Academy, Africa.
The Academy is designed specifically for businesses operating in the African continent, including those exporting or importing across the region. Initially launched in 2012 in the United Kingdom, the Supply Chain Sustainability School UK is a learning environment, upskilling those working in sustainability, supply chain and procurement across all sectors.
We cover the entire supply chain and procurement process with focus on 17 key topics of sustainability, as well as addressing topics in offsite, digital, procurement, lean construction and management.
Membership will give organisations access to hundreds of learning resources and CPD-accredited contents on our website (upon launch) and sister websites in UK and Australia. The Academy also offers CPD training and networking activities.
The Supply Chain Sustainability School UK is governed by a board of nine elected Partner representatives with Shaun McCarthy OBE as the independent chair. The Board is responsible for the fiscal governance and strategic direction of the School. When required, the Board will consult expert advisors on matters such as training, media and communications and legal services.
Become a Partner – Email us at admin@incsr.org
Learning Pathways are an exciting new feature of the Academy which allows you to allocate specific resources to a specific audience and track their progress through the awarding of badges and downloadable reports.
Learning Pathways for Members
All company administrators and owners can create a pathway to either assign to colleagues, or to post to a pathway catalogue for colleagues to self-enrol in.
When users are allocated to, or enrol in your pathway, you can track their progress through a dedicated new portal on your company dashboard.
Users will also receive a badge as recognition for completing the activities.
Learning Pathways for Partners
If you are a Partner of the Academy, in addition to creating pathways for your internal colleagues, you can also assign them to your priority suppliers.
Do you want all of your suppliers to complete a specific resource before the end of the quarter? Do you want all of your colleagues to view your latest policy document? Do you want to group your colleagues into business units or departments, and assign bespoke resources to them? Learning pathways provide solutions to these challenges and more.