Professor Douglas K. Boateng has been named recipient of the 2026 IMM Institute Supply Chain Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award makes Professor Boateng only the second person to receive the lifetime distinction since the IMM Institute was established in 1948, according to the Institute.

The presentation was announced in a statement issued in Accra and Johannesburg on September 29, 2026.

Professor Boateng, described as Africa's first Professor Extraordinaire in Supply Chain Management, has worked in supply chain management for nearly three decades, with experience spanning industry advisory, academia, public policy and professional institutions.

Chief Executive Officer of the IMM Institute, Irene Gregory, said the award recognised his contribution to supply chain management in Africa, particularly in South Africa.

“Few individuals have done more to elevate the strategic importance of supply chain management in Africa than Professor Douglas Boateng,” she said.

She said his work had contributed to the development of the profession, institutions and policy, while also supporting the development of practitioners across the continent.

Receiving the award, Professor Boateng said he accepted it with “profound humility and gratitude”, adding that the recognition also came with a responsibility to continue sharing knowledge and supporting the next generation.

He said African countries would need stronger and more integrated supply chains to achieve industrialisation, maximise the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and implement the objectives of the African Union's Agenda 2063.

“AfCFTA can progressively create the continental marketplace and Agenda 2063 can provide the generational vision, but supply chain management must become part of the practical architecture that connects our resources, industries, businesses, markets and people,” he said.

Professor Boateng said African countries should move beyond simply trading with one another and focus increasingly on developing interconnected value chains.

He said minerals, agricultural resources, manufacturing, technology, finance, logistics, professional expertise and consumer markets needed to be linked more effectively to support industrial development on the continent.

According to Professor Boateng, decisions involving sourcing, procurement, manufacturing, logistics and investment have implications for where production takes place, where value is added, the skills developed and the jobs created.

He also highlighted mentorship and knowledge transfer as important aspects of his work, saying a lifetime achievement award should not signal the end of professional responsibilities.

“If anything, it should deepen the responsibility to share knowledge, mentor others, strengthen institutions and prepare the next generation to go further than those who came before them,” he said.

The award comes amid changes in global supply chains driven by disruptions, geopolitical developments, technological advances and competition for investment and industrial capacity.

Professor Boateng said Africa's challenge was not only to participate in global supply chains but also to develop stronger African supply chains capable of converting the continent's resources into competitive products, industries and jobs.