Rethinking Industrialization in Africa

 In today global economy, African remain a weak line toward industrialization.If the world are to achieve sustainable development goal as per United Nation 2030 Agenda, this must help African countries to accelerate its development by promoting rapid and responsive to industrialization.

  Africa economy must moves beyond the producing raw material to build dynamic and competitive manufacturing sector with higher value added chain. They must draw on the opportunity present by the participant in the global and regional value chain. New and innovation industrial development strategy as well as carefully target measure to attract foreign direct investment.

     To succeed ,Africa government will need adequate capacity, competent and skillful workforce to mobilize and interact with all stakeholder in order to serve as attractive investment climate. The necessary reform will open the way for public- private partnership which will provide investment for infrastructure development.

   Without strong industries  to create need job and added value to our national resources,Africa countries risk remain shocked by jobless and poverty.For example Cote Ivoire and Ghana produce about 60% of world cocoa but supermarket in Abidjan and Accra capital are staked with chocolate imported from European countries which do not farm cocoa.

    Many question have been raised over the years as to why African countries that  produced abundance natural resources till have no factories and industry locally to process them thereby provide value added chain needed.

   Most African leader has been urge to adopt industrialization to foster transformation and to improve living stand of their peoples. Industrialization will render resilient to external shock if proper industry development is taking into consideration.

    According to the economist, Dr. Anthony mothae, stated that industrialization was the main core of economy transformation.He argue that industrialization remain elusion to the continent couple with the Africa emergency manufacturing sector, low productivity and marginal participant in domestic and international market while services sector had surpassed agriculture and industry as a leading income generating sector across africa. He also point out that robust and expanding  industrial development was needed to buy into ideas of manufacturing and resource processing as well as value added toward the structural transformation of Africa economies.

   In Ghana for instance,the government as per their 2016 manifesto campaign promise to implements "One Factory, One District" Agenda as a national strategic framework toward the economic and social transformation through industrialization as a way of optimize the benefit of natural resource endorsement

    Although One District, One Factory have attract investment opportunity from various business community both locally and abroad, many analyst and industrial leader do support  the move as way of revamp the whole economy. However, question have also been asked with regard to the protection of natural resource for the benefit of Ghanaian and creation of employment if the move was made in the hand of foreign Company.
   

1.                                                                                                                        By: Akinola Taofeek
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