Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA)

What Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA) does

CARISCA is a university-affiliated, non-profit research center established in 2020 through a formal partnership between Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana, and Arizona State University, with primary funding from USAID. Its mission is to strengthen supply chain capacity across African higher education institutions through degree programs (PhD, MSc, MPhil), scholarships, faculty and research development, stakeholder engagement, and practitioner training. The center operates through several sub-brands: the Supply Chain Action Laboratory Engagement (SCALE) mechanism, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses, the annual Supply Chain Research Summit, and Paper Development Workshops, supplemented by a PhD Dissertation Award competition and a regular newsletter.

The center's core proprietary asset is the Ghana Logistics Managers Index (LMI), launched in 2022 as the first logistics index in Africa, which surveys managers on inventory, warehouse, and transportation activity to produce quarterly readings and forward-looking forecasts. CARISCA's funding base is concentrated in development partners (USAID primary; Kühne Foundation/LEARN Logistics and the O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative as secondary), with no commercial pricing for services. Revenue mechanics are grant-based, supporting scholarships, research grants, training delivery, and the SCALE funding mechanism for collaborative projects. The center serves a diversified set of stakeholders including doctoral and master's students, supply chain practitioners, healthcare supply chain organizations (PMAG, PIWA, PHIA-G, GHS, MoH), and a pan-African network of faculty and researchers participating in summits and workshops.

Name

Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA)

Legal name

Centre for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa

Website

https://carisca.knust.edu.gh

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CARISCA is a Ghana-based, non-profit academic research center (KNUST–ASU partnership, founded 2020) that builds African supply chain capacity through scholarships, the Ghana Logistics Managers Index, CPD courses, and an annual research summit, funded primarily by USAID.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supply Chain Research and Education Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) (BPAGABAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO), Project, Quality & Operations (PMP PDUs, Six Sigma, Quality CE) (EDAAALAM), Global Supply Chain, Procurement & Market-Shaping Partnerships (Medicines/Diagnostics/Vaccines) (HLAJAOAK)

Keywords

• Supply chain research
• Logistics education
• Professional development
• Stakeholder engagement
• Capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Kumasi

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. USAID Funding: CARISCA receives primary funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as a development project supporting higher education capacity building in Africa.
2. Kühne Foundation (LEARN Logistics): Additional funding support from LEARN Logistics by Kühne foundation for research grants and data collection support programs for MPhil students.
3. O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative: Prof. Nathaniel Boso received USD 215,000 per annum for five years (potentially extendable) from the O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative for conducting research under ORTARChI.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CARISCA is an academic research center that builds supply chain capacity in Africa through graduate-level degree scholarships (PhD, MPhil, MSc), Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses for practitioners, the Ghana Logistics Managers Index (LMI), the annual Supply Chain Research Summit, Supply Chain Action Laboratory Engagement (SCALE) stakeholder programs, PhD Dissertation Awards, Paper Development Workshops, Research Data Collection Grants, and an ISCEA certification partnership, all hosted at KNUST School of Business in partnership with Arizona State University and funded primarily by USAID.

Product overview

CARISCA operates as a research and education center offering a coordinated portfolio of programs to strengthen supply chain capacity in Africa. The core offerings include: the Logistics Managers Index (LMI), a quarterly economic indicator for Ghana's logistics sector; the annual Supply Chain Research Summit conference; Supply Chain Action Laboratory Engagement (SCALE) for stakeholder collaboration; Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses for practitioner training; PhD and Master's scholarships; PhD Dissertation Awards; Paper Development Workshops; and the CARISCA Newsletter. Additionally, CARISCA partners with ISCEA to provide global supply chain certifications, and offers Research Data Collection Grants for MPhil students. The center's programs are interconnected, with research outputs informing training content, scholarships building academic capacity, and conferences facilitating knowledge exchange among stakeholders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Logistics Managers Index (LMI): A tool created by CARISCA researchers to support decision-makers and improve businesses and livelihoods in Africa by measuring inventory, warehouse, and transportation activities. The Ghana LMI, launched in 2022, is the first of its kind in Africa.
• SCALE (Supply Chain Action Laboratory Engagement)
• CPD (Continuing Professional Development)

Products and services

• Ghana Logistics Managers Index (LMI) A quarterly research index measuring combinations of inventory, warehouse, and transportation activities in Ghana, providing a timely measure of movement in logistics activities and an economic outlook for decision-makers, businesses, and livelihoods in Africa.
• Supply Chain Research Summit Annual forum bringing together academic and non-academic researchers, public, private, and civil society organizations to address complex supply chain challenges in Africa and showcase locally relevant supply chain research and innovations; includes PhD dissertation award competitions.
• Supply Chain Action Laboratory Engagement (SCALE) A mechanism that allows innovative and scalable collaborative projects to strengthen supply chains by providing funding and technical assistance to maximize likelihood of success and widespread uptake.
• CARISCA Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Courses Professional development workshops and short courses building the capacity of supply chain practitioners and service providers in Sub-Saharan Africa to use data analytics and modern tools to support supply chain management decisions.
• PhD and Master's Scholarships in Supply Chain Management Scholarship awards for study in supply chain master's degree programmes (MSc/MPhil) and PhD at KNUST, including full, partial, and tuition waiver awards covering tuition, stipend, accommodation, and research grants.
• PhD Dissertation Awards Annual competition recognizing outstanding PhD research in logistics and supply chain management from African higher education institutions, providing certificates, stipends, and feedback on submissions.
• Research Data Collection Grant Grant designed for MPhil students undertaking empirical research in supply chain management, logistics, and related fields, supporting the data collection phase of their studies; funded by LEARN Logistics by Kühne Foundation.
• ISCEA Supply Chain Certification Program Partnership with the International Certified Supply Chain Education Alliance (ISCEA) to expand access to global supply chain certifications in Ghana for African supply chain professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ghana LMI Q1 2025: 63.5 (down from 66.8 in Q4 2024); Q2 2025: 57.9, lowest level since index began
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, key and core.

• ISCEA (International Certified Supply Chain Education Alliance)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2026New partnership announced January 2026 to expand access to global supply chain certifications in Ghana. CARISCA Newsletter Issue 13 highlights this partnership for certification expansion.
• Lagos State University, NigeriamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2024Co-host of CARISCA's two-day Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course on Supply Chain Analytics in August 2024, enabling delivery to Nigerian supply chain practitioners.
• Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Ministry of Health (MoH)keyOthers · 23 October 2020CARISCA team met with GHS and MoH representatives to discuss public sector health supply chain challenges including product selection, quantification, procurement, warehousing, transport, and quality assurance.
• University of South Africa, University of Pretoria (South Africa), Alex Ekwueme Federal University (Nigeria), Strathmore University (Kenya)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 October 2020African institutional partners collaborating under the O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative with Prof. Nathaniel Boso's research chair at KNUST.
• Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG)keyOthers · 15 September 2020CARISCA met with PMAG to explore partnership in providing solutions to challenges faced by the association including supply chain financing, warehouse challenges, and irrational planning from producers and providers.
• Private Health Insurers Association-Ghana (PHIA-G)keyOthers · 15 September 2020CARISCA engaged with PHIA-G to discuss challenges relating to supply chain in healthcare. Partnership aims at capacity building and training of supply chain professionals.
• Pharmaceutical Importers and Wholesalers Association (PIWA)keyOthers · 3 September 2020CARISCA held maiden stakeholder meeting with PIWA to discuss health supply chain challenges including warehousing, procurement, and lack of integration. Partnership focuses on identifying research needs and providing executive training.
• Arizona State University (ASU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARISCA is a partnership between KNUST and Arizona State University with support from USAID. ASU provides technical assistance, faculty support, and access to global supply chain expertise. ASU Professor Dale Rogers serves as Executive Director, and Professor Adegoke Oke provides expertise on supply chain management research.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (CTL): MIT's flagship supply chain research and education center offering MSc, PhD, executive education, and supply chain indices (e.g., MIT Supply Chain Index). Directly comparable as a globally recognized academic supply chain center with proprietary data products, executive training, and industry partnerships — though operating at much larger scale.
• University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) Supply Chain programs: South African business school offering postgraduate supply chain management programs and applied research with industry partners. Comparable as an African academic center delivering supply chain degrees, executive training, and applied research — and a likely institutional peer/competitor for continental talent.
• ISCEA (International Supply Chain Education Alliance): Global certifying body for supply chain professionals (CSCP, CSCA, SCOR-P). Comparable as a supply chain education and certification provider; CARISCA's January 2026 partnership makes ISCEA both a collaborator and a benchmark for the credentialing side of CARISCA's portfolio.
• Kühne Foundation / Kühne Logistics University: The Kühne Foundation funds the LEARN Logistics capacity-building program and Kühne Logistics University (KLU) in Germany. Directly comparable mission of strengthening logistics and supply chain management education and research; CARISCA is itself a current Kühne Foundation grantee.
• GS1 Africa: Africa regional body of GS1, setting supply chain standards (barcoding, traceability) and supporting African supply chain modernization. Comparable as an Africa-focused supply chain standards, data, and capacity-building organization with a continental footprint.

Broad incumbents

• UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development): UN agency producing research, indices, and capacity-building programs on trade, logistics, and supply chain performance in developing economies. Comparable as a global convener producing supply chain indices and policy research; broader mandate but overlapping on LMI-type measurement work and developing-country capacity building.
• African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank): Pan-African multilateral trade finance institution running trade and supply chain development programs across the continent. Comparable as a large-scale Africa-focused supply chain and trade capacity-building actor; broader in mandate (financing) but overlapping on logistics research and convening.
• World Bank — Trade and Competitiveness / Logistics Performance Index: Multilateral lender publishing the biennial Logistics Performance Index and funding supply chain capacity programs in Africa. Comparable as a producer of supply chain indices and a funder of African logistics research; vastly larger scale and global mandate.
• Arizona State University — W. P. Carey School of Supply Chain Management: Top-ranked U.S. supply chain management program; CARISCA's institutional partner. Comparable on supply chain education and applied research, but at vastly larger scale and U.S.-based; represents the model CARISCA is built to localize for Africa.

Others

• KNUST School of Business: Host institution and academic home of CARISCA at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Provides faculty, facilities, and degree-program infrastructure; comparable as the parent academic unit rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/carisca.supply.chain
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carisca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA)