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Pamela Shumba in Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA
THE 18th Comesa Summit was officially opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia yesterday, with African leaders and representatives of African organisations agreeing that industrialisation was the key to Africa’s economic transformation.Heads of state and government from 19 member states, including President Mugabe convened here for the summit, which is this year, running under the theme “Inclusive and sustainable   industrialisation”.

Comesa secretary general Sindiso Ngwenya emphasised the need for African countries to work together and concentrate on promoting investment and industrialisation for the continent to be fully developed. He told the summit that the Comesa secretariat was working with member states to come up with a common industrialisation policy.

“Industrialisation is key to the economic transformation of the African continent. The Comesa treaty and its protocols contain strategies and policies of what member states should do at national and regional level for the realisation of economic transformation.

“Economic transformation involves rationalisation of economic structures by moving human, financial and other resources from low to high value added economic activities. I’m happy to report that the secretariat is working together with member states to implement a common industrial policy,” said Ngwenya.

He said industrialisation required inclusive and strategic collaboration between public and private sectors.

“It’s important for us to improve the quality of the business environment and strengthen economic policy co-ordination at national and regional levels.  Successful implementation of the common industrial policy requires not only sound macro-economic policies but also micro-economic policies.

“Some of the lessons that have been learnt from the emerging industrialisation economies include the need to avoid a blue print approach. In other words a one size fits all approach of industrialisation. This is because industrialisation can be based on labour intensive industries, natural resources through value addition and diversification from low value to high value services,” said Ngwenya.

He expressed concern that despite the progress made in agriculture development, the region was still spending more than $22 billion annually to import food, saying this underlined the need for member states to embark on agricultural modernisation.

African Union (AU) Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma concurred with Ngwenya and said now was the time for Africa to unite to develop itself.

“This is a rallying call for the coming generation. We’ve to shift our focus from aspirations to implementation. We must come up with strategies that will make Africa rise and be a better continent.

“It’s important to know what skills Africa needs, what capacities we have or lack and also make use of the diaspora in industrialising our continent and utilising the abundant resources we have,” said Dlamini-Zuma.

Carlos Lopes, the executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) said it was sad that Africa was contributing less than 20 percent to the industrial sector.

“This reality challenges us to think creatively. The abundant natural resources that we have in Africa should be utilised to the fullest. It’s the only way to go for Africa’s economic transformation. This, however can only be done through collective action,” he said

In a speech read on his behalf by Geraldine Fraser Moloheti, the president of the African Development Bank, Donald Kabureka said Africa should strengthen inter-regional trade.

“Industrialisation, through new technologies and strengthening of inter-regional trade is a necessity for Africa. The continent needs to fund its industrial initiatives and promote its own investments, exploit opportunities from global value chains and utilise its growing internal market.”

After officially opening the 18th Comesa Summit, outgoing Comesa chairperson Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo handed over chairmanship to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Haile Mariam Desalegn.

Comesa was established in 1981 as a preferential trade area for Eastern and Southern Africa as an organisation of free independent and sovereign states, which agreed to co-operate in developing their natural and human resources for the benefit of Africans.

The 19-member regional bloc aims to achieve sustainable economic and social progress through increased co-operation and integration in all fields and development, particularly in trade and customs. It is, however, still facing challenges in implementing some of the essential agreements.