Page 31 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 17
P. 31

Economy                                                                                      Leadership




















                                                                                        SUPPLY CHAIN
                                                                                    MATTERS



                                                                                             Chioma Phillips



                                             certain cars or laptops or video   ic over dry ice or carbon dioxide
                    ll this talk about global   games, because there are no chips   (which is in the air all around us)
                    supply chain issues has   available – even if they have all been   points to the fact that outsourcing
                    me thinking. Some peo-   manufactured. The world is now     has led to a form of global laziness,
          Aple are saying the global         so interlinked that it can even be   ineptitude and stagnation, as basic
          supply chain is failing (of course it’s   deemed an act of hostility to change   skills that people should have within
          just being manipulated), others are   prices of basic components, because   their borders, are virtually non-ex-
          panicking because they ‘suddenly   global economies depend heavily    istent. An overspecialization has led
          realized’ that Taiwan and South    on systems that – if there is a slight   to a situation where simple tasks are
          Korea had the monopoly on the      change – can cause major surges    ‘left to the experts’, where people
          manufacture of critical chips, others   and shifts and problems across the   have ceased to exercise their minds
          are freaking out because medica-   board.                             to try to solve problems or innovate,
          tion they needed was manufactured   I guess the panic that is being felt   but would rather pick up the phone
          by China and just was not being    by the likes of Elon Musk, with    and ‘call a guy I know’ in order to
          shipped ‘because of Covid’ and     regard to production for Tesla, is the   resolve things. This leaves them and
          recently the UK was almost beside   world’s way of acknowledging that   their countries and families vulner-
          itself because they were running   it made stupid mistakes in setting up   able.
          out of carbon dioxide to make their   the system that it has. There are so   That’s the most useless and impris-
          fizzy drinks and dry ice to preserve   many vulnerabilities in supply chain   oning strategy that any country or
          their frozen foods with. (At the   logistics that it requires that every   government can create for its people
          same time as Iceland is turning on a   single person on earth be on their   to live by. How can you, in this day
          carbon sequestering machine – the   best behavior so as not to destabilize   and age of so much global insanity,
          world makes less and less sense as   the global economy or poison each   think it wise to leave yourself in the
          the days go by.)                   other to death. Now, with countries   hands of a system that is so easily
          Let’s get back to the supply chain.   like America constantly flexing their   manipulated and contaminated?
          The world went and created a       muscles against others – and vice   Then act shocked when everything
          system for the manufacture of      versa – there is no such thing as   goes awry?
          necessities and luxury items that   ‘best behavior’ and manufacturing   But even in this, there is opportunity
          depend on several different nations   has become like a war where threats   for a thinking Afrika to shore up its
          each providing components that     and intimidation are used to keep   basic skills and make sure its people
          go towards the assembly and/or     outsourced businesses (or rather   are able to handle all the necessary
          construction of the final product.   their governments) in line, so that   tasks to keep things moving even in
          Therefore, if there is a crisis in Tai-  life can move along on an even keel   the midst of global confusion.
          wan, as an example, no one would   around the world.                  And Afrika must seize this opportu-
          be able to move forward and create   But there is another problem. For   nity like a drowning man grabs hold
                                             the UK to be in a state of pan-    of a plank of wood - or else!


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