sanews - 6 days ago

Africa Kaizen Annual Conference gets underway More than 240 participants from over 28 countries are taking part in the Africa Kaizen Annual Conference (AKAC) currently underway in Boksburg.

The two-day conference which kicked off on Monday in Gauteng, is taking place under the theme: “African Industrialisation through Fostering Competitive Firms and Value Chains on the Continent”.

Speaking at the conference, Employment and Labour Minister, Nomakhosazana Meth, said if Africa is to industrialise successfully, Africans must build competitive firms that can produce quality goods efficiently and integrate into regional and global value chains.

“But competitiveness is not achieved by chance, it is cultivated through productivity, innovation, and continuous improvement, which are the very principles at the heart of Kaizen,” Meth said.

Kaizen is a hands-on and practical skill developed through a participatory, learning-by-doing, human-focused, and process-oriented approach. It promotes continuous quality and productivity improvement to enhance the competitive of the manufacturing industries.

She added that the conference provides an ideal platform to explore how the Kaizen philosophy can be leveraged to foster industrialisation, strengthen regional value chains and position African enterprises to compete confidently in the global marketplace.

“Africa’s youthful population, its rich resource base, and the rise of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provide a foundation for reindustrialisation and value creation on the continent. To seize this opportunity, we must place productivity at the centre of our development agenda.

“Productivity is not simply about working harder, it’s about working smarter, more efficiently, and more innovatively. It is about creating more value from the same inputs and ensuring that growth translates into decent jobs, competitiveness, and sustainable prosperity.”

The Minister said that South Africa, through Productivity SA, has embraced Kaizen principles to enhance business performance and strengthen the industrial base.

“Kaizen has proven especially effective in our programmes, the Competitiveness Improvement Services (CIS) and Business Turnaround and Recovery Programme, which help struggling enterprises to rebuild their competitiveness, preserve jobs and stimulate growth.

“Since its inception in 2017 by AUDA-NEPAD [African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa s Development (AUDA-NEPAD] and JICA [ Japan International Cooperation Agency], Africa Kaizen Initiative (AKI) has evolved into a vibrant platform uniting governments, development partners, and enterprises across the continent.

“The Africa Kaizen Annual Conference (AKAC) has become a premier forum for policy dialogue, mutual learning, and advancing firm-level competitiveness. South Africa’s participation in this continental movement reflects our commitment to building a productive, competitive and inclusive economy,” she explained.

South Africa has prioritised productivity improvement as a key driver of employment creation, industrial competitiveness, and inclusive growth.

“We are committed to deepening the Kaizen approach across industries, from manufacturing and services to public sector institutions, because we believe that productivity is the most sustainable way to enhance national competitiveness and build an economy that works for all,” the Minister said.

READ | Kaizen Conference to boost productivity and growth in Africa
-SAnews.gov.za Edwin Mon, 10/27/2025 - 14:12 82 views

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