Funmi Peter-Omale
28 November 2007
Abuja — Minister of Commerce and Industry, Charles Ugwuh, has said Africa's industrial development must be anchored on human capacity building, investment in health, education and training.
Ugwuh, who said this yesterday in Abuja, in commemoration of this year's Africa Industrialisation Day, said in the current knowledge-based global economy, industrialisation is increasingly driven by science, technology and innovation.
He said "the ability to develop, acquire, upgrade and adapt technologies, is a key element for competing effectively in the global market. Africa's industrialisation can only be accelerated and sustained on a solid technological base, therefore, programmes and polices have to be designed and implemented to enhance science, technology and innovation capacity of African countries.
"There must be continuous flow of scientific discoveries, development and adaptation of technologies to ensure improvement in productivity and competitive production of industrial goods in Africa," he said.
While describing this year's theme, "Technology and Innovation for Industry: Investing in People is Investing in the Future," as apt, he added that countries that have made massive investment in Research and Development and created strong national innovation system, demonstrate how a country could climb the ladder of value and participate effectively in the global value chain.
He said "Africa cannot afford to be bystanders at the technological marvels that create economic value and transform societies, to that end, converting brain drain into brain gain is critical, to address the issue of capacity deficit and scale up capacity building in Africa."
United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Director General, Mr Kandeh Yumkella, in a message, said African countries must reassess their relevant policies and strategies, to mainstream science and technology into national and sectoral plans and priorities, in order not to be left behind, as countries all over the world struggle to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
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