On November 20, the international community celebrated “The day devoted to the development of industrialization in Africa”, an annual ritual which aims to mobilize both African leaders and international organizations to advocate for accelerated, sustainable industrialization. and inclusive of Africa. But where does this celebration come from and what are the implications?
A FORMAL ORIGIN
Proclaimed by the United Nations in 1989, this day is celebrated every November 20 and sees the massive participation of African countries. It is within the framework of the last international decade for the development of Africa (1991-2000), that the general assembly of the United Nations, in its resolution n ° 44/23/1989 of December 22 1989, declared this date as world day for the industrialization of Africa. It is now a tradition which, due to its content, leads to both continental and global mobilization.
UTILITY OF WORLD DAY FOR THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF AFRICA
This day reminds Africans of the need to pursue their industrialization objectives and on this occasion provides a platform for dialogue of public and private engagement which seeks to improve the interface between industrial decision-makers, the private sector, civil society and development cooperation partners. It thus stimulates and promotes any action promoting the commitment of decision-makers and the mobilization of international support for the industrial development of the continent.
AN EXPLICIT CONTENT THROUGH THEME
The activities organized during this celebration are adapted to the thematic context. This year, the chosen theme is: “promoting regional value chains in Africa, a means to accelerate structural transformation, industrialization and pharmaceutical production”. This theme is sufficient justification for the words of the Executive Director of the United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), Mr. Michel Sidibé mentioning that 80% of antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV are imported from Africa. He says this while also stressing the risks inherent in this heavy dependence. He also specifies that Africa should be the fastest growing global pharmaceutical market, going from 14 billion USD in 2017 to 22 billion USD by 2025. He hoped that the development of a regional pharmaceutical production capacity be considered. Such clarity in the various speeches that the general mobilization was impacted.
CONTINENTAL MOBILIZATION
In Africa, each country often celebrates this day in its own way. But overall, there are various conferences, debates and workshops led by industry players and their technical partners. Following an obvious need for media coverage, this year saw a great innovation with the organization of the first week of the industrialization of Africa by the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Commission of the African Union. It took place in Ethiopia, the headquarters of the African Union from 19 to 23 November 2018 and allowed African players in the industry to share their experiences to better structure the industrial sectors. Another opportunity to strengthen the dialogue on the Pan-African industrialization program while boosting ambitions for sustainable development.
GLOBAL MOBILIZATION
Beyond the African continent, various entities of the United Nations system are organizing events as part of this day. The event sees the joint involvement of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and other key stakeholders, including a consortium of development cooperation partners (DCP). ‘United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) which particularly marked the day with a celebration which took place at its headquarters in Vienna. The latter also involved three other entities: the office of the Secretary General of the United Nations; the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union Commission (AUC).
The progressive visibility of the activities marking the celebration of the World Day for the Industrialization of Africa suggests the future commitment of all the players in the industry without exception: industrial giants present on the market for a long time to SMEs and start-ups up, entrepreneurship players whose growth is increasingly exponential.
Read also: https://www.afrikatech.com/fr/entreprendre/lindustrialisation-de-lafrique-contexte-et-defis/
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