20 November 2014: The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) and the Office of the Permanent Observer of the African Union (AU) hosted a High-level panel discussion on ‘Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (ISID): African Agro Industry for Food Security’ to commemorate Africa Industrialization Day 2014.

In a message for the day, held annually on 20 November, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon observed that “Increased prosperity has not always translated into inclusive wealth creation” in many African economies. He said economic development often relies on natural resource extraction and low-skilled labor, resulting in an uneven distribution of wealth and weak manufacturing base. Ban described ISID as a “stepping stone towards sustained economic growth, food security and poverty eradication in Africa,” and called for “a green, clean industrialization that leapfrogs outdated polluting processes and platforms and benefits from new technologies.”

Addressing the panel event in New York, US, UN General Assembly President Sam Kutesa noted that while progress has been made in production, much of the surplus is wasted due to lack of processing capacity and marketing, adversely impacting the shelf life of perishable commodities and food security. He stressed the need for greater efforts and investments in the post-production segments of agriculture value chains and for exploiting opportunities for processed agro-food products in local, regional and international markets. Explaining that gross domestic product (GDP) growth in agriculture is at least twice as effective in reducing poverty as growth in other sectors, Kutesa called for improving productivity and addressing the infrastructure deficits, especially in energy, roads, railways, ports and air connectivity. He urged turning the dream of Nelson Mandela into reality, creating an Africa where there is “work, bread, water and salt for all.”

Paul Maseli, UNIDO, said Africa is a major food importer despite owning 50% of the agricultural land worldwide, due to inadequate capacity to store food. Maseli called for empowering social groups such as women and youth, noting that 10 million jobs will need to be created annually as youth enter the work force, and stressed the need to safeguard the environment. Tete Antonio, African Union (AU), highlighted the importance of connecting sectors, strengthening Africa’s own development platforms, inclusive trade development, and supporting preferential access of women and youth in agribusiness.

Zin Andrianarivelo-Razaf, African Group, said structural transformations are key to sustainable development, and industrialization will facilitate Africa’s access to global value chains, helping mobilize other domestic resources to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Seth Baah, Pan African Chamber of Commerce, offered ten suggestions for sustainable and inclusive industrialization: strong governance and institutions for an enabling environment; modern infrastructure; foreign direct investment (FDI); regional market integration; access to innovate finance; North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation; high-level labor-skills training; research and development (R&D), technology development and innovation; entrepreneurship; and long-term development based on manufacturing, processing-based economies.

UNIDO will host a symposium to showcase success stories promoting Africa’s industrial development, on 24 November 2014, in Vienna, Austria. [UN Press Release] [Message of UN Secretary-General] [Statement of UNGA President] [IISD RS Sources]