President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has called for clear a plan so that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region can be fully industrialised.
He made this call while delivering his keynote address at the official opening of the 7th SADC Industrialisation Week at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) yesterday.
The President said all countries in the region need to promote value addition, create more jobs, and increase export earnings.
He said it is critical to scale up domestic and regional value chains in order to be competitive on the global market.
Zimbabwe played a leading role in the formulation and advocacy of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap in 2014, which was subsequently adopted by member states.
In 2016, the Council of Ministers endorsed a decision to annually convene the SIW on the margins of the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government to popularise the strategy.
Key points from his address:
-This event aims to foster new opportunities for the region and Africa
-Given vast natural resoursces and youthful human resources in our region and Africa it is sad we continuously lose due to exportation of raw materials.
-Zimbabwe in 2014 front loaded the regional Industrialisation agenda in an aim to maximize on our resources in order to improve African economies.
-Individually and collectively we have a duty to fully industrialize in order improve our economies and create emploment of our youth.
-We must not fall asleep at face of Neo colonization that is happening on our economies.
-Improve on resource allocations in order to drive our Industrialisation agenda.
-Need for National Development Strategies to be in sync with our Regional Development goals.
-Greater commitment must be exercised
-We are one
-Region has potential to accelerate development
-Set clear benchmarks -Increase investments in science and technology in order for us to hasten SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap.
Zwnews
