AU summit must help Africa industrialise

South African President Thabo Mbeki arrived in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.

"We are all aware that a lack of industrialisation in Africa and the fact that most of our countries are 'one commodity export' countries, has contributed to its current slow rate of economic growth," said SA Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad, Tuesday.

He said government hopes that substantive discussions would be held on building Africa's industrial base with all the other issue that impact on this process.

"...the continent continues to lag behind industrially contributing less than 1% of global manufacturing.

"Despite its huge natural resources Africa continues to be poor, this is because Africa still has difficulty converting its abundant raw materials into finished products.

"We believe that his summit take decisions to help us to reverse this situation and must enhance its efforts to add value to its raw materials to increase its global competitiveness."

To meet these objectives, Africa is going to need greater political support, he said, adding the summit will also look the Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund launched in Ghana at the last Summit.

It has so far mobilised $625 million that will be used to finance continental projects under the AU flagship programme, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

Pahad also said Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma on Sunday chaired the African Union (AU) Executive Council Meeting in the run up to the 10th Ordinary Session starting later this week.

In her capacity as chairperson, he said, the foreign minister hosted a meeting of the ministerial conflict reconstruction and post conflict development on Sudan.

"The ministerial committee on Sudan is chaired by our minister and...its mandate is to assess the needs and the magnitude of the post conflict challenges in Sudan; mobilise African support for post conflict reconstruction and development in Sudan; and sensitise the international community about post conflict reconstruction and mobilise their support accordingly," said Mr Pahad.

This session will also be assessing the operationalisation of the United Nations (UN) - AU hybrid force for Darfur that became effective on 31 December 2007.

The minister said government has expressed concern at the slow pace of getting the hybrid force on the ground as only 9,000 of the committed 27,000 peacekeepers are in operation.

Article published courtesy of BuaNews