Rapport: Afrika må selv forarbejde sine mange råvarer

Forfatter billede

Hvad hjælper det, når et land som Elfenbenskysten eksporterer kakaoen som bønner, når den forarbejdes i f.eks. Frankrig og opnår meget højere priser – den slags bør de afrikanske industrier selv gøre og det er en nøgle til kontinentets fremdrift, hedder det.

NEW YORK, 23 April 2013 (UN News Service): Sweeping political and economic changes over the last half century have set the stage for Africa’s emergence as a global economic power.

The continent should take advantage of that opportunity through a commodity-based (råvare-funderet) industrialization strategy, according to a United Nations economic report launched Wednesday.

“Massive industrialization based on commodities in Africa is imperative (bydende nødvendig), possible, and beneficial”, states the 2013 edition of the Economic report on Africa, co-authored by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Union.

The report was launched at an event at the UN’s New York Headquarters.

The report, entitled “Making the most of Africa’s Commodities: Industrialization for Growth, Jobs and Economic Transformation”, argues that Africa needs to frame (udforme) specific policy for commodity-based industrialization for each country.

This can ensure initiatives that foster development and accelerate that process, through leveraging Africa’s abundant (rige) resources and high commodity prices and the changing global production process.

Må begive sig ud i “modigt hamskifte”

Individually and collectively, African countries must embark on a “bold transformation (hamskifte)” towards a commodity-based industrialization strategy that would allow the continent to take charge of its own development, the report says.

This is necessary if African countries are to be able to address youth unemployment, poverty and gender disparities (ulighed mellem kønnene), and other challenges it faces.

The report sets out ways African countries can design and implement industrial and other development policies to promote value addition (værdikæder) and economic transformation, and to reduce their dependence on producing and exporting unprocessed (uforarbejdede) commodities.

“Making the most of Africa’s commodities requires appropriate development planning frameworks and effective industrial policies that are evidence based and take into account what influences linkage (sammenkobler) breadth and depth, as well as the structural and country-specific linkage drivers,” the report says.

It also maintains that by adding value to their raw materials locally, African countries can bring about diversification of technological capabilities, an expanded skills base and deepened industrial structures in individual countries.

Læs videre på
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44735&Cr=africa&Cr1=#.UXhJXGVqr4s

Begynd frra: “The primary data were collected and country case studies prepared….”