By Evans Dakwa, News Editor
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has officially opened the 7th edition of the SADC industrial week where he galvanised the region to continuously infuse industrialisation with innovation and capitalise on the abundant raw material available within the regional block.
The incoming SADC Chairperson said the region must work to address the anomaly that the region continues to be a net exporter of raw materials compared to processed goods.
Given the vast natural resource endowments and youthful population on our African continent and the SADC region in particular, it is a misnomer that we continue to lose substantial revenues through exporting unprocessed goods. It, therefore, beckons all of us, Governments, industry and development partners alike, to give impetus to the accelerated development of industry, said President Mnangagwa
“Through our unity of purpose, complementary and intertwined strategies, we are determined to realise rapid socio-economic development and a higher quality of life in our countries and region that leave no one and no place behind in line with targets of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which include transformation and enhancing overall productivity for the growth and industrialisation of African economies,” he added.
The President also told delegates that the modernisation and industrialisation of SADC and African economies is no longer a luxury but a matter of necessity for the future we all want and deserve.
“The present generation has a duty and obligation to foster environments and synergies that leap frog industrialisation, create more jobs, produce value added goods, as well as increase exports and export earnings. Equally, we must improve efficiencies in our resource allocation and create the requisite linkages across all sectors of our economies to drive this noble and urgent agenda,” he implored.
He urged the region to synchronise its industrial development strategies and leverage on the power of working together, technology, innovation and research to accelerate SADC’s industrial development and realise the immense potential that lies within.
“We must re-purpose our yester-year institutions to be more relevant for the world of the future. Fundamentally, our education systems should be re-purposed to bridge the technology gap and current global trends to enable the SADC region to be more competitive. Let us be deliberate, systematic and surgically focussed to graduate from being factor-driven to investment-driven and ultimately knowledge-based economies.”
The week-long event is being hosted under the theme, ‘Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Growth and Development Towards an Industrialised SADC.