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‘How Nigeria, others can save $30 billion yearly food import bill via processing’

By Femi Adekoya
08 July 2016   |   1:04 am
The Federal Government had in April decried the N1.5 trillion yearly food import bill considering the pressure on the nation’s foreign exchange earnings and potential in the agricultural sector.
Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Carlos Lopes

Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Carlos Lopes

Adopting a clean, inclusive, sustainable and alternative economic pathway to industrialization can save Nigeria and other African countries an estimated $30 billion a year exporting processed foods, latest United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has shown.

Indeed, with the nation’s diversification agenda being implemented, a structural transformation agenda with significant opportunities to transform the agricultural sector for value added agro processing can be explored.

The Federal Government had in April decried the N1.5 trillion yearly food import bill considering the pressure on the nation’s foreign exchange earnings and potential in the agricultural sector.

UNECA, while championing a campaign for a new African order that promotes industrialisation using a clean, inclusive and sustainable pathway, noted that the drive for big opportunity for Africa in 2016, as a late- comer to industrialization, is in adopting alter- native economic pathways to industrialization.

The report noted that the campaign requires governments to take on-board the drivers, challenges, and trade-offs in pushing for a greening of industrialization—and to build them into the vision and route-map for action.

The report however, notes a lack of or inadequate infrastructure conducive for greening Africa’s industrialization process but acknowledges the willingness of African governments to transition from coal to greener pathways of development.

Speaking on the Economic Report on Africa (ERA) 2016 under the theme Greening Africa’s Industrialization, UN Resident Coordinator in South Africa, Tobias Takavarasha said the report was a catalyst for driving a new African order and the Africa we want.

“ECA is championing Africa’s industrialization using a clean, inclusive and sustainable pathway. As a latecomer, the continent is able to define and design its own pathway based on its own realities and learning from history and the experiences of other regions to leapfrog traditional, carbon-intensive methods of growth and champion a low-carbon development trajectory” he said.

Similarly, ECA Director, Microeconomic Policy Division, Adam Elhiraika said greening Africa’s industrialization was both beneficial and possible for Africa. “Green industrialization is the way to go for Africa – it’s good for long term inclusive growth, it ensures ecosystem integrity, climate-resilient development and is a cost saving measure through the use of advanced technologies.” He said.

Elhiraika said Africa needed a policy framework for green industrialization to create enabling environments characterized by coherent policies, partnerships and finances.

Commenting on the report, Mao Amis of Africa Centre for a Green Economy echoed the need for Africa’s transition to green economy, arguing that it held better opportunities than the “business as usual” approach.

“We are excited at the continent’s transition into a green economy, but we need to mainstream and develop a green narrative for the continent and what it means to the different national contexts”, he said.

“Growth in the region has been largely jobless and associated with the degradation of Africa’s valuable natural capital. Structural transformation through industrialization will inevitably and justifiably increase the uptake of resources.

“But a strategy for greening this process, in its many dimensions, will deliver a more competitive and resource-efficient industrial sector—one that provides employment, is climate resilient and is decoupled from environmental degradation.

“There is now a growing commitment among African countries to pursue inclusive green development. A collective commitment from across the African Union would strengthen the speed and effectiveness of such a strategic shift”, the report added.

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