Boksburg: With the 2025 Africa Kaizen Annual Conference (AKAC) underway, delegates have consistently emphasised the need to develop regional value chains to industrialise the African continent and enable businesses to compete globally.
According to South African Government News Agency, while there has been an improvement in the manufacturing sector, its contribution to the economy has stabilised around 12-13% over the years, up from 11-12%. Dr Tebogo Makube, Acting Deputy Director-General of Sectors at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, highlighted this at the conference, noting the necessity for quality enhancements, productivity, and new technologies adoption, such as the electric vehicle programme aimed at producing cars for export.
Makube’s remarks set the tone for a panel discussion at AKAC, held in Boksburg, Gauteng, under the theme ‘African Industrialisation through Fostering Competitive Firms and Value Chains on the Continent’. This year’s conference unites leaders and practitioners of Kaizen Institutions and National Productivity Organisations across Africa, including the National Quality and Productivity Network (NQPN).
Kaizen, a Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement, involves making incremental changes to enhance efficiency and quality. It forms a core part of lean manufacturing and is based on the idea that every employee contributes to making processes more efficient. In South Africa, it is crucial for efficiency improvements in various economic sectors, including the Black Industrialists Programme and other transformation initiatives.
Makube emphasized Kaizen’s role in supporting supplier development and integrating emerging suppliers into Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) value chains. He noted that Kaizen could be replicated across sectors targeting exports, such as agro-processing, plastics, and textiles. By adopting the Kaizen philosophy, suppliers can deliver quality products, building trust and effective brand management, which are essential for business survival.
AKAC offers a platform to accelerate Quality and Productivity Improvement (QPI)/Kaizen activities through mutual learning and combining African wisdom to boost industry capabilities and competitiveness. First launched in 2017 by the African Union Development Agency and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Africa Kaizen Initiative (AKI), this year’s event builds on the QPI movement’s momentum, spanning over 10 African countries.
Esther Marie Renee, Head of Human Capital Development at the Ministry of Economy and Finances in Burkina Faso, emphasized the importance of the digital economy for African industrialisation, which requires increased productivity, innovation, and company resilience. The digital economy is crucial for obtaining accurate information on Kaizen’s impact, enabling evidence-based policy development and operational efficiency.
Dr Vinaye Ancharaz, Executive Director of the National Productivity and Competitiveness Council (NPCC) in Mauritius, supported Renee’s views, stating that artificial intelligence is the future of smart manufacturing, greatly enhanced by the Kaizen approach. The conference addressed geopolitical tensions and tariffs’ impacts on business, including component manufacturer closures and job losses.
Kaizen was recognized for promoting localisation, developing black industrialists, and driving transformation in the automotive value chain, aligning with South Africa’s Automotive Master Plan objectives. Delegates agreed on the necessity of integrating digitalisation into Kaizen implementation.
As the conference concludes, the South African National Productivity Awards, hosted by Productivity SA, will recognise organisations and practitioners that excel in Kaizen and productivity improvement across the continent.