Affiliations: Department of Operations and Supply Chain Management,
Opus College of Business, University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, MN, USA | CNFA-company, Harare, Zimbabwe
Note: [] Corresponding author: Sameer Kumar, Department of Operations and
Supply Chain Management, Opus College of Business, University of St. Thomas,
1000 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403-2005, USA. Tel.: +1 651 962 4350;
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: The study focuses on the key issues affecting the functioning and
structure of Africa's private manufacturing sector. Surveys conducted in
seventeen countries in sub-Saharan Africa present a number of issues faced by
participating firms. These issues include: access to finance, access to trade
finance, complexity of tax system, customs and trade regulations, corruption,
availability of qualified labor, labor regulations, employee health, reliable
electricity supply, cost of electricity, transport costs, loss due to transport
(breakage, theft, delays), physical infrastructure, ability to own
land/premises, and physical crime. The methodological base was derived from
extensive literature review. The survey questionnaire was based on the
literature review which included various theoretical models. The survey was
tested on a small group before rolling out to various countries in sub-Saharan
Africa and collecting this data. The study does not cover all of the many
potential causes proposed to explain the slow rate of industrial growth in
Africa; instead, it concentrates on what managers and entrepreneurs in the
private manufacturing sector in Africa have encountered. The analysis is a
reflection of their points of view. Their businesses are part of the formal
manufacturing sector, which, even though it is not the dominant sector of
economic activity, is vital in the chain of development. The study facilitates
knowledge and information on an assortment of success factors for improved
performance for companies in the emerging market of sub-Saharan and other parts
of the African continent.
