Experts call for green industrialisation policies for Africa

With most African countries focusing on becoming middle-income economies in the near future, experts are calling for robust structures and policies to ensure green progress ahead of the fourth industry revolution. Experts speaking during a high-level policy debate held in Kigali on Tuesday, observed that much as African countries are experiencing economic progress, there is need to ensure green economies for sustainability and inclusive development. Dr Uzziel Ndagijimana, the Minister of State in charge of Economic Planning, said specific measures with more climate resilient approaches would foster an independent economy. “The service sector is expanding and now almost becoming the dominant portion of the economy. The majority of our people are still in agriculture but as per our Vision 2020, the country must be transformed in all economic aspects through green growth climate resilient strategies,” said Ndagijimana. He added that despite the existing challenges increasing urbanisation within cities demands scaling up green activities. “Some of these include addressing the cost of doing business which is already being worked on, increase productivity, address youth employment with emphasis on off-farm jobs, rural development ,but green industrializations should be the key,” he added. The event also compared findings from three recent reports that include; the Economic Report on Africa 2016, Transformative Industrial Policy for Africa report, and the Country Profile of Rwanda. These indicate that around the continent most countries’ growth is at a rate of 4 per cent per year. However, Giovane Biha, the deputy executive secretary of UNECA, said although there is an increase in GDP driven by exports of raw commodities, technology and health services, low value addition and climate shocks still cost African countries She added that a shift to low carbon economies would not only reduce poverty but add value to local products. “We need to debunk the myth that Africa is not ready for a green revolution. There are local examples of activities here like the Girinka initiative, it’s attractive, durable and affordable. Through such efforts, we can address the challenge of poverty that affects mainly women and children,” she added. Dr Vicent Biruta, the Minister for Natural Resources, pointed out that Rwanda’s emphasis on green revolution led to the creation of several projects that include turning wastes into cash. “We adopted the Paris Agreement with already 14 programmes running. It is our duty to ensure resource efficiency, clean water production, but to also promote a zero waste model. We are already recycling wastes into cash,” said Biruta. Addressing bottlenecks François Kanimba, the Minister for Trade and Industry, said the slow pace of integration affects the overall progress of economies. “In the contexts of the global economic slow-downs, there are negative spill-offs in Africa. It is true that opportunities are rising but this depends on the regions and the pace to speed up these trade interactions,” said Kanimba. He added that political instabilities and lack of adequate infrastructure result into unnecessary barriers to trade. “Some of the countries near us are potential markets, but there is no infrastructure in place to facilitate trade. Also, pockets of political instability that take long to resolve compromise trade,” he added. Professor Tomas Kigabo, the chief economist at the central bank, said despite recent positive growth trends, Africa remains one of poorest continents. Meanwhile, Antonio Pedro the Director, Sub-regional Office for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA) at UNECA, said that Rwanda’s inclusive growth is an indication of a stable agro economic growth but more needs to be done through policies and institutions. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Experts call for green industrialisation policies for Africa