South African Airways has formally agreed to a corporate responsibility partnership with the recently established West African Institute for Supply Chain Leadership (WAISCL) to facilitate selected postgraduate supply chain management students and lecturers to undertake annual industrial visits between Southern Africa, Ghana and West Africa.
“This is a unique win-win CSR partnership to expose students to world class supply chain management practices on the continent. SAA is proud to be associated with a not for profit initiative that aims to develop the continent’s supply chain management related human capital to help uplift service / product quality and productivity standards,” commented Gloria Yirenkyi, Country Manager for SAA.
The announcement follows the successful maiden industrial trip of MBA students to South Africa in June.
Over 25 MBA students visited the country and spent time on the premises of some of the biggest companies in the world, including ABSA Barclays, Barloworld, Nampak, Accenture, Plascon and Aveng Grinaker LTA.
“This initiative is the first of its kind between the two countries and regions… It is a means to strategically bolster the relationship between South Africa and Ghana… and we look forward to working with both organizations to make it a sustainable annual event,” said H.E. Jeanette Ndhlovu, the South African Ambassador to Ghana.
Over 90% of the students on the maiden trip were from Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science and Technology and the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, said Dr Douglas Boateng, founder and chairperson of the WAISCL. He says WAICSL is expecting more non-KNUST and GIMPA students in 2012 and warned that owing to limited place, acceptance will be strictly on a “first come first offered basis”.
The dates of the 2012 trip will be announced during 4qtr 2011.
WAISCL is a regional focused educational institute and is an exclusive partnership between KNUST, the PanAvest Foundation and KNUST Business School based in Kumasi, in southern central Ghana.
“WAISCL was established with one goal in mind: to enlighten current and future private and public sector executives and decision makers on how best practice supply chain management can be used as a weapon for competitive advantage and to tackle service and product delivery woes in Africa,” concluded Dr Boateng.
