Yaounde, 21 November 2016 (ECA) – A highly anticipated discussion on the role African Governments should play in transforming the economies of the continent will take place on the campus of the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC) on 25 November 2016. Jointly convened by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and IRIC, the conversation will be hinged on the highly acclaimed treatise titled Transformative Industrial Policy for Africa (TIPA), recently published by the Commission. Government Ministers and their advisors, political economists, researchers and students, the diplomatic community and the media are expected to participate in the discussion.
Through the Report, ECA advocates the role of African States in purposefully creating the environment through which industrialisation thrives. This entails deliberately favouring certain industrial sectors and even companies that can make a difference for the structural transformation of the continent.
Far from romanticising the current development posture of Africa, the Report argues that the continent is not structurally destined for underdevelopment but rather in a great position for transformation should its policy-makers acquire the theoretical and empirical baggage on what works in industrialisation. It challenges African countries to be often ready to go against conventional wisdom while drawing on the experiences of some developed countries, that of countries which emerged not too long ago such as China, Brazil, Malaysia, Korea and Taiwan but also from poorer countries that are succeeding at deliberate efforts to plan their industrialisation such as Usbekistan, Ethiopia and Rwanda.
Speaking ahead of the review discussion, the Director of the Sub-regional Office for Central Africa of ECA – Mr Antonio Pedro – said “there could not have been a more propitious time than now to address the glaring industrial policy needs of Africa in general and the Central African sub-region in particular which are still trying to figure how to deal with the debilitating effect of a steep nose-dive in oil and commodity prices.
“As the ECA has been insisting for the past half decade, the diversification of economic production coupled with value addition and a boost in high quality service delivery will determine Africa’s next leap in development,” he went on.
“We are proud to be associated with the UN Economic Commission for Africa in the launch of this very important and eye-opening report in Cameroon” said the Director of IRIC – H.E. Mr Pierre Emmanuel Tabi – during a meeting to prepare the event.
“ECA is a great knowledge repository for many of our students especially those in our Regional Integration Programme.
“As the Report itself states, expanding the industrial sector in Africa will not be easy without stronger regional integration, which facilitates access to large markets thereby stimulating competitiveness.
“This is particularly true of our sub-region Central Africa. These reflections will go a long way to help shape the future policy directions of the leaders we are training at IRIC at the moment.”
In essence, Transformative Industrial Policy for Africa makes a strong case for countries of the continent to build and reinforce their capacity for industrial production, which has proved to be the very basis on which high value services have emerged in the so-called post-industrial economies of today.
-ENDS-
Issued by:
The Sub-Regional Office for Central Africa
UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
P.O. Box 14935 Yaounde, Cameroon
Tel: (+237) 222504348 / 222504315 / 222504321
E-mail: sroca@uneca.org