Boksburg: South Africa is set to host the 2025 Africa Kaizen Annual Conference (AKAC), a major continental gathering aimed at driving industrial competitiveness and value chain development. The conference, scheduled for 27 – 28 October in Boksburg, Gauteng, will be held under the theme: ‘African Industrialisation through Fostering Competitive Firms and Value Chains on the Continent’. It will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, academics, and productivity experts to explore strategies for strengthening Africa’s manufacturing and production sectors.
According to South African Government News Agency, the conference forms part of South Africa’s ongoing partnership with Japan to enhance productivity and quality management across industries. This partnership, established through a Joint Technical Cooperation Agreement in 2011, is being implemented through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition. Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, emphasized that Kaizen is not merely a philosophy but a practical approach to improving productivity, competitiveness, and inclusion across the value chain. One of its key objectives is to strengthen supplier competitiveness while advancing transformation and ensuring the participation of women, youth, and persons with disabilities in the automotive sector.
Kaizen, a Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement, involves making small changes to increase efficiency and quality. The term combines the Japanese words “kai” (change) and “zen” (good). This philosophy is integral to lean manufacturing and is based on the idea that every employee has a role in making manufacturing processes more efficient. The Africa Kaizen Annual Conference serves as a platform to accelerate Quality and Productivity Improvement (QPI)/Kaizen activities through mutual learning and combining African wisdom to improve industry capabilities and competitiveness.
The Africa Kaizen Annual Conference was first launched in 2017 by the African Union Development Agency and JICA under the Africa Kaizen Initiative (AKI). This year’s gathering aims to build on the growing momentum of the QPI movement, which now spans more than 10 African countries.
Tau stated that through the QPI Project, South Africa has already seen significant gains. Between 2023 and 2025, the Basic Kaizen training programme improved productivity indicators at 66 companies by an average of 53.5%. The Digital Kaizen initiative is also enabling small and medium enterprises to leverage data-driven tools to enhance efficiency and competitiveness.
Partners in the National Quality and Productivity Network, including Productivity SA, the Automotive Industry Development Centres (Gauteng and Eastern Cape), the Automotive Supply Chain Competitiveness Initiative, Plastics SA, the Production Technologies Association of South Africa, and the Automotive Industry Transformation Fund, will participate in the conference. Tau remarked that the Kaizen approach is helping build the productive capacity and innovation base needed for Africa’s industrialisation, supporting the broader goal of realising the aspirations of Agenda 2063 – a transformed, inclusive, and sustainable African economy.
The AKAC will conclude with the Africa Kaizen and South African National Productivity Awards hosted by Productivity SA, celebrating the organisations that exemplify the spirit of continuous improvement and competitiveness.