Africa Industrialization Day

  The world faces a stark reality today. Despite notable strides in poverty reduction between 2000 and 2015, progress has slowed significantly. By 2022, the number of people lifted from extreme poverty compared to 2013 was only one-third. Currently, around 10 per cent of the global population—nearly 700 million people—still live in extreme poverty while nearly 800 million suffer from chronic hunger. The ambitious goals of eradicating extreme poverty and achieving zero hunger by 2030 now seem increasingly unattainable, especially in developing countries, where the impacts of recent crises, including the COVID19 pandemic, armed conflicts, and climate change, have further exacerbated inequalities. Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, continues to grapple with deeply entrenched challenges, with poverty more pervasive than it has been in decades. The labour market presents an equally troubling picture. Although some recovery from the COVID-19 crisis has been reported, a notable jobs gap6 ...

  To ensure that industry better serves both current and future needs, three interrelated issues need to be addressed:  1. The sourcing and production of industrial goods must be based on principles of sustainability, ensuring social and environmental compatibility and focusing on local value addition;  2. Food security for all must be ensured by expanding agro-industry that taps into new sources of food, producing safe foods with higher nutritional value and where there is more space for the generation of local content in developing countries, and  3. The production and use of energy in industry needs to be ‘greened’ and the impacts of energy and industrial production on the environment must be minimized. 

 The sourcing of materials is essential for industrial production , whether for food. textiles, electronics or automobiles. Without access to reliable, high-quality materials, industry faces difficulties in meeting demand and maintaining profitability. Manufacturing firms need to rethink their business models and identify new ways of sourcing products in a more sustainable and risk-proof way in the face of evolving barriers to trade . Globalchallenges and emerging industrial megatrends (see above) underscore the need for manufacturing firms to adapt their business models. As it is becoming increasingly difficult to predict supply and demand, manufacturing firms need to invest more in foresight and the ability to quickly adapt to changing conditions. Industry, particularly in developing countries, must be supported in creating cost-effective supply chains for their industrial inputs to remain productive and competitive. This includes support in optimizing and future-proofing exi...

  The development of agro-industry is essential for producing more, better and safer food, while ensuring it is distributed at affordable prices to all. Agro-industry can significantly contribute toachieving the SDG 2 target of doubling agriculturalproductivity by sourcing primary and semi-processed foods from a diverse range of suppliers, including smallholder farmers, helping them improve the quality of their products, adopt more efficient and sustainable production practices and add more value to their production practices. To address environmental concerns, agro-industry can be strategically organized in industrial parks and special economic zones designed to minimize resource use, pollution and waste . Agro-industry in developing countries requires support to implement advanced food processing technologies and design better food products with higher nutritional value in combination with support in developing bankable business models. The new foods produced should also inco...