By Jackline Amoke, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Business Administration and Management Student at Zetech University
My academic path in supply chain management has been a continuous journey of discovery, moving from understanding basic procurement principles to exploring how supply chains can be tools for sustainable community empowerment. Each stage of my education—from Bachelor's to my ongoing PhD—has revealed new layers of complexity and opportunity in how we manage the flow of goods, information, and value across our world.
During my Bachelor of Commerce in Procurement, I learned the fundamental language of supply chains. A class project focused on optimizing tender processes for a local municipality seemed straightforward initially—just about getting the best price. However, when our team interviewed small business owners, we discovered that our "efficient" tender requirements systematically excluded women-owned enterprises who lacked formal certification. This was my first real research insight: that supply chain decisions create or break economic opportunities. Our project evolved from simply minimising costs to developing tiered tender criteria that enabled broader participation while maintaining quality standards.
This experience directly inspired my Master's research in Logistics, where I investigated gender-inclusive procurement in agricultural supply chains. For my thesis, I conducted field research across western Kenya, examining how smallholder women farmers accessed formal markets. The innovative solution we prototyped wasn't about complex technology but about redesigning information flows. We developed a simple mobile platform that connected women's farming collectives directly with institutional buyers, bypassing several layers of middlemen who typically captured disproportionate value. What began as academic research became a pilot project that actually increased participants' incomes by 30% within two harvest seasons. This taught me the most valuable lesson of my academic career: that supply chain innovation must be rooted in contextual understanding rather than simply importing solutions from other contexts.
Now in my third year of PhD research focused on Sustainable Supply Chain Management, I'm building directly on these earlier experiences. My dissertation examines how circular economy principles can be integrated into informal waste management systems across African cities. The emerging trend of circular supply chains typically focuses on sophisticated reverse logistics in formal industries, but my fieldwork in Nairobi's Dandora dumpsite reveals a different story. Here, an intricate ecosystem of waste pickers, sorters, and aggregators already operates a remarkably efficient—though unrecognized—circular system.
My innovative research approach involves mapping these informal networks and identifying intervention points where simple technologies and process formalisation could dramatically improve both environmental outcomes and livelihoods. Rather than designing entirely new systems, I'm exploring how to strengthen existing ones—creating what I term "hybrid formal-informal circular supply chains." This work represents a significant evolution in my thinking: from seeing supply chains as systems to manage, to understanding them as complex social-ecological systems that require co-design with communities.
The campus experience throughout this journey has provided crucial spaces for reflection and growth. As a PhD candidate, some of my most valuable insights have emerged not from data analysis but from conversations with colleagues across disciplines—engineering students developing waste sorting technologies, public health researchers studying environmental impacts, and sociology peers examining labor conditions. These interdisciplinary dialogues have consistently challenged my assumptions and expanded my understanding of what constitutes "sustainable" in supply chain management.
Engaging with emerging trends like blockchain for supply chain transparency or AI for demand forecasting has taken on new meaning through my research. While these technologies offer exciting possibilities, my work with informal economies has highlighted their limitations. The most sophisticated blockchain solution means little to a waste picker who struggles with digital literacy. This has led me to advocate for what I call "appropriate digitalisation"—matching technological solutions to the actual capabilities and needs of all supply chain participants, not just the most powerful ones.
My progression from Bachelor's to PhD in supply chain studies has fundamentally transformed how I view the world. I've moved from seeing supply chains as mechanical systems to optimise, to understanding them as living networks that reflect and either reinforce or challenge social structures. The ongoing challenge of my PhD research is to develop frameworks that acknowledge this complexity while providing practical pathways toward supply chains that are not just efficient, but equitable and regenerative.
As I continue my research, I'm increasingly convinced that the future of sustainable supply chains in developing economies lies in this hybrid approach—blending formal and informal systems, appropriate technology with deep community engagement, global standards with local realities. The supply chains that will truly serve our future will be those designed with, not just for, the people who bring them to life every day.