The United Nations Under Secretary-General and Executive
Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Dr.
Carlos Lopes said this during the opening session of the 4th General
Assembly of the forum for Former African Heads of State and Government (Africa
Forum) held at UNECA Conference Centre in Addis Ababa today.
The two days General Assembly of the Forum for Former Heads
of State and Governmen(2-3April 2016) has been sponsored by The United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa UNECA.
“African countries need to undertake economic structural
transformation geared towards industrialization,” adding that recent growth of
economies in most African countries was a result of increase export of raw
commodities to industrialized countries.
Dr. Lopes said that manufacturing in most African countries
has been going down significantly in the past decade despite doubling of GDP in
the same countries as a result of increase of export of raw commodities and
that there has been an increase in internal consumption of imports.
The UNECA Executive Secretary outlined some challenges the continent
is facing towards industrialization including patenting and protection by the
industrialized countries of their intellectual property rights in commodity
production, complex trade regimes in global market, inadequate technology and
stiff competition.
Dr.Lopes, however, said the there is a great hope for Africa
to industrialize by embarking upon the production and proper utilization of
renewable energies to process raw commodities(Agro processing) in various
countries creating job opportunities to most young people in Africa.
He further said that countries should formulate sound
economic policies aimed at encouraging the population to consume what is
produced locally to boost local industries and that commodity based
industrialization is capable of creating between five to seven million jobs annually
in Africa reducing tremendously youth unemployment in the continent.
Dr. Lopes said that proper and appropriate technology should
be adopted in various African countries to curb low productivity and boost
storage capacity to prevent post harvest loses which is a common feature in
most African countries that subsequently trigger food insecurity in the advent
of bad weather.
In her remarks during the same occasion, The Chairperson of
the African Union Commission Dr.Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma emphasized the need for
African countries to take a seriously a move to review their academic curricula
so as to equip the young generation with relevant skills to fit into modern
production processes adding that emphasis should be placed on science subjects
and vocational training.
Dr.Zuma reiterated the need for African countries to speed
up the process of integration through the promotion of intra-African trade and
tourism and simplify procedure on cross border movements so that young people
could travel freely in the continent in search for jobs other economic
ventures.
The AUC Chairperson further emphasized the need for African
countries to mobilize domestic resources to fund various local development
projects and reduce donor dependence and that the focus should be placed on
building infrastructures including roads and railways to connect African
countries and boost intra African trade and labor movements.
The 4th General Assembly of Former Heads of State
and Governments will among other things exchange views on the Economic
partnership Agreement, and the issue of illicitly financial flows and their
development impact, as well as Africa’s development Agenda 2063.
Former Heads of State
attending the Africa Forum include Tanzania’s former Presidents Ali Hassan
Mwinyi and Benjamin William Mkapa, Malawi’s former President Bakili Muluzi,
Namibia’s former President Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba, Nigeria’s former
President General Jackob Gowon, South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki and Mozambique’s former
president Joaquim Alberto Chissano who is also the chair of the forum.
The Africa Forum Constitutes an informal network of former
African Heads of State and Government and other African Leaders designed to
support the implementation of the broad objectives of the African Union(AU) and
its initiative, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development(NEPAD), at the
national, Sub regional and Regional levels.
With the specific functions of advocacy and think tanking, the Arica Forum will
help to harness the experience, moral authority and good offices of former African Heads of State and Government
and African Leaders with the view to
assisting the advancement of Africa’s Social and Economic Development.