Africa has no choice but industrialise to add value to its natural resources to maximise export earnings from these, Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha said last week.He told journalists at the 18th Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) Heads of State and Government Summit that government and the private sector should work hand in hand to achieve this goal.

Minister Bimha said it was only through industrialisation that Africa can tackle extreme poverty on the continent.

At present, the continent largely exports its natural resources – mainly minerals – in raw form cheaply, and re-imports finished products made from these at high cost.

President Mugabe, who is also chairman of Sadc and the African Union, has consistently spoken against this trade trajectory of the continent, and pushed for industrialisation and value addition.

It is partly due to this that in 2013 the 19-member Comesa group recorded a $6 billion trade deficit, importing goods worth $41 billion against exports of $35 billion.

“For Africa to go forward we need to industrialise, there is no way we can continue to export raw materials. We cannot continue to rely on other people converting or adding value to what we produce and in turn sell the same to us at exorbitant prices. That time is way behind us,” Minister Bimha said.

Source: All Africa

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