On Africa Industrialization Day, 20 Years Later, African Industrial Sector

Still Not Lived Up to Potential, Says Secretary-General

 

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the Africa Industrialization Day panel on “Industrialization Strategies and Policies:  A Key to Economic Transformation of Africa”, in New York, today, 20 November:

It is a pleasure to be here today to open the Africa Industrialization Day activities, and to welcome you to this very important discussion.

It has been 20 years since the General Assembly designated 20 November as Africa Industrialization Day.  As we meet today, we must recognize that we still have much to do to advance industrialization on the continent.

Sustained economic growth is essential to support Africa’s social development and achieve a higher level of well-being for its people.

There has been some good news recently on progress towards some of the Millennium Development Goals, and on overall economic development in Africa.

Last year, 2008, was the fifth consecutive year in which Africa registered economic growth of more than 5 per cent.  Though much of this growth was driven by the boom in commodities, there were also important improvements in agriculture and tourism.

But the industrial sector has not lived up to its potential.   Africa still accounts for just over 1 per cent of world industry, and industrial development on the continent has lagged behind other developing countries.

This needs to be addressed forcefully.

History teaches us that manufacturing acts as a stimulus for economic transformation in developing countries.

The rise of globalization and the growing importance of technology make this transformation even more critical.

Industry drives innovation and technical progress, which are taken up in turn by other sectors of the economy, like agriculture and services.  In this way, industrialization benefits society as a whole.

There is widespread agreement that we need more effective strategies and policies to speed up industrialization in Africa.

But there are differences of opinion on which strategies and policies are most effective.

We need more discussion about how best to industrialize.  We need to decide which lessons we can take from other countries that have transformed themselves -- for example, in my own region of East Asia.  And we also need to look at the reasons why other countries have failed to industrialize.

Today’s debate is a good forum for discussing these important issues.  I hope it will start a process of review and analysis within the United Nations system, and within African nations.

I would like to express my appreciation to United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the African Union and the Economic Commission for Africa for taking this step today in that process.

I look forward to continuing to work together in this vital endeavour.  Thank you.

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For information media • not an official record