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(MENAFN – Caribbean News Global)
A worker repairs a wheel on a giant truck in a uranium mine in Namibia. World Bank / John Hogg
NEW YORK, USA – The COVID-19 crisis was hitting Africa “ well before the pandemic spread across the continent, ” the UN chief said on Friday, on the occasion of the Industrialization Day of Africa. Africa, reaching a point where many economies were expanding and ‘poverty was on the decline’.
“Technology and innovation were being embraced across the continent and progress has been made in economic unity and integration,” added Secretary General António Guterres.
Furthermore, the entry into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area promised “a strong boost” for trade between nations.
An extraordinary reversal
However, according to UN data, the protracted pandemic had a major impact on economic activity and pushed the region into its first recession in 25 years.
There has been a decline in demand for African commodities and products, disruptions to trade and travel, fewer remittances and foreign investment, and massive job and income losses.
And the combination of internal lockdowns and lower external demand due to the global recession will weigh heavily on the industrial sector.
A “more resilient” continent
Working towards the goals of the Third Decade of Industrial Development for Africa, which runs from 2016 to 2025, and following the roadmaps established by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2063 Agenda for Africa, Guterres said : ‘the response to the COVID -19 crisis offers an opportunity to correct structural inequalities and vulnerabilities and promote transformative change for a more resilient Africa’.
Industry can increase productivity, increase workforce skills and generate jobs by introducing new equipment and new techniques.
And thanks to strong links with domestic economies, industrialization will help African countries achieve high growth rates, diversify their economies and reduce their exposure to external shocks.
“On the occasion of Industrialization Day in Africa, I reaffirm the commitment of the United Nations system to support inclusive, resilient and sustainable industrial development in Africa,” he said.
A support choir
“All farmers should have access to innovation and digital resources to transform agri-food systems and achieve rural development,” said QU Dongyu, head of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). ‘Let’s grow, feed and support, together for a modern and sustainable African agriculture!’.
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) tweeted that “ industrialization helps African countries achieve high growth rates, diversify economies and reduce exposure to external shocks, such as COVID19, ” promising its commitment to the third decade of industrial development and the 2063 Agenda.
The General Assembly proclaimed November 20 as Africa’s Industrialization Day in 1989. Since then, the UN has organized global events on that day to raise awareness of the importance of Africa’s industrialization and the challenges facing the continent .
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