Affordable green industrialisation in Africa is doable – ECA
The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) launched three reports last week in the Rwandan capital Kigali, with the Deputy Executive Secretary of the organisation, Ms. Giovanie Biha, describing the three reports as useful materials that could help debunk the myth that Africa is not ready for green industrialisation.
The ECA said in a statement copied to ghanabusinessnews.com, its three new publications – the Economic Report on Africa 2016 dubbed ‘Greening Africa’s Industrialization’, the report on Transformative Industrial Policy for Africa and the Country Profile for Rwanda – all acknowledge Africa as a latecomer continent to industrialization, which on the other hand, provides opportunity to avoid mistakes made by some of its predecessors.
Presiding over the launch of the reports which attracted three Ugandan Ministers and senior officials of its finance ministry and central bank, as well as high level representatives from the ECA, UN and other international organisations, Ms Giovanie Biha said greening Africa’s industrialisation is the only viable conduit through which the development objectives of the continent can be met.
She emphasized that if Africa takes and implements the right type of policies, it could turn the present adverse conditions into “a catalytic springboard for leapfrogging the fourth industrial revolution for the Africa we want”.
The ECA’s statement said of the three reports:
“The Economic Report on Africa 2016 presents ‘green industrialisation as an opportunity to achieve the type of carbon-neutral structural transformation that yields sustainable and inclusive growth in Africa. The report offers a concrete package of policy options for decarbonising Africa’s industrialisation efforts.”
“Transformative Industrial Policy for Africa is a think piece, which offers historical and contemporary insights on the implementation of industrial policies for transformative development. In particular, the report provides concrete strategies for the integration of industrial policies into national development plans across the continent.”
“The Country Profile – Rwanda offers an independent narrative of the country’s recent economic and social achievements and challenges, with a particular focus on regional integration and economic transformation.”
By Emmanuel Odonkor
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