(HERALD) Africa’s industrialisation crucial
Africa’s industrialisation crucialEDITOR — Africa has vast natural and human resources. Africa has the potential to develop itself if it can effectively harness its gold, diamonds, oil and various other resources.
How many tonnes of these resources are exported every year, making Western companies rich but leaving Africa without any meaningful development?
This is not to say that we should not export any resources to Europe and America.
There is no continent in the world that can thrive from buying and selling solely in its own markets.
What is needed is a trade set-up that benefits Africa more than it is currently benefiting.
Priority should be given to the processing of raw materials here so that our resources directly benefit us rather than buying back finished goods at ridiculously low prices.
This calls for intensified industrialisation in Africa.
More money should be directed towards building our own industries that are not only extractive but are developmental.
Obviously this calls for funding.
This will require African governments to use their resources more progressively by investing in the continent’s long-term development instead of just focusing on the immediate needs and concerns of our nations.
We must plan ahead just like the Russians and Chinese did as they worked to become the powers that they are today.
Africa must set up viable funding institutions of its own like the International Monetary Fund.
The African Development Bank cannot do much to assist because it is largely owned by Westerners and hence it eventually operates just like the IMF and the World Bank who have done little for this continent.
It would be better if we lent money to each other rather than running to the World Bank and IMF when we very well know the kind of conditionalities they will foist on us.
The funds for setting up such an institution will come from the resources that we have.
Where there is a will there is a way.
Gerald Mavedzenge.
Gutu.
Labels: INDUSTRIALISATION
posted by MrK @ 4:29 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home