The Africa–China Centre for Policy & Advisory (ACCPA) was represented at a high-level roundtable hosted by the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore, where Executive Director Paul Frimpong delivered a compelling intervention on the future of Africa in a rapidly reconfiguring global supply chain landscape.

The roundtable, convened under the theme “Global Supply Chain Shift and Potential New Shipping Routes,” brought together leading researchers, policy experts, and industry stakeholders to examine the implications of geopolitical tensions, evolving trade patterns, and China’s changing role in global production systems.

Speaking on the panel on supply chain shifts to the Global South, Frimpong advanced a clear and strategic message: Africa must move from participation to positioning in the global supply chain order.

Drawing on insights from across the continent, including emerging manufacturing hubs such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Ghana, he noted that while Africa is increasingly visible in global production networks, its role remains largely limited to low-value segments. He emphasised that much of the continent’s current participation is still anchored in commodity exports, basic processing, and assembly-level manufacturing, with limited control over higher-value functions such as design, technology, and supply chain coordination.

Frimpong further highlighted the evolving role of China in this transition. As China upgrades its domestic industrial base, segments of manufacturing are being relocated to regions across the Global South, including Africa. However, he cautioned that this relocation is structured and selective, with high-value activities largely retained, raising critical questions about the depth and sustainability of Africa’s integration into global value chains.

“Africa is present in global supply chains but not yet positioned to capture value at scale,” he noted during the discussion.

To address this, Frimpong outlined key priorities for African policymakers and stakeholders. These include deliberate value chain targeting, stronger alignment between foreign investment and domestic industrial capacity, and the acceleration of regional integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to support the development of cross-border production ecosystems.

His intervention underscored a broader strategic imperative: that Africa’s competitiveness in the emerging global supply chain order will depend not on cost advantages alone, but on the strength of its policy coordination, infrastructure systems, and institutional capacity.

ACCPA’s participation in the roundtable reflects its growing role as a leading policy think tank at the intersection of Africa–China relations, global economic transformation, and strategic development.

As global supply chains continue to evolve, ACCPA remains committed to shaping forward-looking policy conversations that position Africa not only as a participant but also as a strategic actor in the global economy.