STATEMENT ON AFRICAN INDUSTRIALIZATION DAY STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF MARKET ACCESS FOR REGION’S INTEGRATION INTO GLOBAL ECONOMY

STATEMENT ON AFRICAN INDUSTRIALIZATION DAY STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF MARKET

ACCESS FOR REGION’S INTEGRATION INTO GLOBAL ECONOMY

(Reissued as received.)

VIENNA, 20 November -- In a joint statement issued on the occasion of Africa Industrialization Day, the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Alpha Omar Konaré; the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, K.Y. Amoako; and the Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Carlos A. Magariños, reaffirmed the determination of the three organizations to accelerate Africa’s integration in the global economy through effective industrialization and market access.  The Acceleration of Africa’s Integration in the Global Economy through Effective Industrialization and Market Accessis the theme chosen for this year’s African Industrialization Day.

While acknowledging that “the ability to actually enter markets is fundamental”, the statement points out that “even if market access was totally free and supplies were available, success in entering markets would not be assured, particularly given the non-competitive market structures”.  The plight of the African countries is that “…despite improving access conditions through several conventions as well as other international concessions, these have resulted in rather limited levels of additional exports of African manufacturing products, and as a consequence, have had a rather limited development impact” and that “in reality the limited supply response from Africa to these opportunities is due to a lack of productive capacity in the region, and the inability of African manufactured products to comply with international standards and requirements”.

The statement enumerates a number of responses to these challenges, including the launch of the “African Productive Capacity Initiative”, a plan developed by the Conference of African Ministers of Industry (CAMI), under the auspices of the African Union (AU), which intends to harmonize industrial strategies and policies at the subregional levels, identify sectoral approaches and priorities of the African regions, based on comparative advantages, for the development of productive capacities and better access of African products to regional, continental and global markets.  This initiative is in line with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) objectives, which aims at promoting a rapid and sustainable development of African countries.  The African Productive Capacity Initiative will be launched at the CAMI XVI meeting at UNIDO headquarters on 28 November 2003.

The joint statement is available online at:  http://www.unido.org/file-storage/file?file_id=19289.  The statement by United NationsSecretary-General Kofi Annan is at http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download?file%5fid=19427.

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