The Building Research and Innovation for Development, Generating Evidence, and Training (BRIDGE-Train) program supports partnerships between higher education institutions in USAID Partner Countries and in the U.S. to develop research, innovation, and training centers for knowledge development aimed at addressing local and national development priorities.

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

In Ghana and across Africa, supply chain decisions are often made by professionals with little or no formal supply chain training, leading to inefficiencies in product and services delivery that result in increased prices and decreased availability of essential goods. Poor infrastructure and last mile transportation challenges limit rural development and disempower informal operators across multiple sectors. These challenges also limit the potential for agriculture-based economic growth and reliable healthcare delivery. Thirty to fifty percent of the food produced in Sub-Saharan Africa is lost along the supply chain, contributing to food insecurity. In healthcare supply chains, hospitals and private sector actors face difficulties in understanding supply and demand patterns and forecasting needs.

In 2020, Arizona State University, in partnership with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana, launched the Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA). Through training, innovation, and research, this new center will address barriers to development caused by inefficient and ineffective supply chains, especially in health and agriculture.

CARISCA will be a research and training center that harnesses innovative research and serves as a knowledge and resource hub for higher education institutions and supply chain actors throughout Africa. CARISCA will strengthen the capacity of KNUST to conduct research and engage diverse public, private, and civil society stakeholders to solve local problems. It will also offer accessible, inclusive, and world-class training that builds the researcher talent pipeline in supply chain management.

The CARISCA center at KNUST is envisioned as a globally recognized, locally-owned hub for generating and translating research into positive development outcomes for Ghana and pan-African supply chains, leading to country self-reliance. CARISCA will generate innovative research in supply chain management to address critical development challenges. The center’s activities will be supported and sustained by a local and international network of industry partners that connects African researchers, practitioners, and businesses to supply chain assets around the world.

More Information