Africa moves to standardise supply chain profession as ASCON makes official debut

November 21, 2025 in Business by Editor

The launch of the African Supply Chain Confederation (ASCON) marks a decisive step toward harmonising professional standards across Africa’s logistics and procurement sectors, strengthening the continent’s competitiveness under AfCFTA and elevating supply chain management as a driver of industrial growth

Africa has taken a concrete step toward harmonising its fragmented supply chain profession with the formal launch of the African Supply Chain Confederation (ASCON), a continental body expected to set shared standards for logistics, procurement, and supply chain practice.

The organisation—founded in Accra last August and unveiled in Johannesburg this week—comes as governments and businesses grapple with rising global supply chain shocks and seek to leverage opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

ASCON President Ronald Mlalazi said the body will push for alignment of qualifications and governance structures across member countries, positioning Africa to participate more competitively in global value chains.

Its agenda includes standardised accreditation systems, cross-border professional recognition, ethics frameworks, and continent-wide knowledge-exchange platforms. Leaders say these measures are intended to fix long-standing disparities in training quality, professional mobility, and governance.

Advisory Board Chair Dr. Simon Annan said the initiative is designed to strengthen oversight and reduce inefficiencies that have historically slowed industrial growth. Secretary General John Karani added that raising competencies is essential for unlocking mobility and improving work quality for the continent’s supply chain workforce.

Goodwill Ambassador Prof. Douglas Boateng argued that professionalising the sector is now “central to Africa’s industrialisation ambitions,” especially as AfCFTA widens the scale of cross-border trade.

ASCON’s rollout signals the start of what industry leaders hope will become a unified African supply chain ecosystem—one capable of supporting large-scale manufacturing, reducing logistics costs, and improving resilience in an era of frequent global disruptions.