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‘Malawi to benefit from Sadc industrialisation drive’

 

 

Malawi stands to benefit from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) industrialisation process, as strategies being implemented by other countries in the region will be incorporated in the national policy, Malawi’s Trade and Industry Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha has said.

He made the remarks on Tuesday on the sidelines of the 34th extraordinary Sadc Summit at Meikles Hotel in Harare, Zimbabwe. The meeting is being held under the theme: ‘Regional Strategy and Roadmap for Industrialisation.’

Chaponda: Industrial is key
Chaponda: Industrial is key

Mwanamvekha said the regional industrialisation strategy which has a long – term plan culminating into the launch of a tripartite strategy among Sadc, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) and East African Economic Community (Eaec) would contribute to a vibrant national policy for industrial growth.

“The launch of the continental free trade area [FTA] later in June this year will help in the finalisation of consultation processes Malawi is undertaking with key partners in the sector. We will incorporate in the national plan whatever our colleagues in the region are doing,” said Mwanamvekha.

According to the minister, there are several benefits of regional industrialisation issues such as the creation of employment and value addition to products, which would help generate more revenue from exports.

He said: “Malawi needs to move forward to add value to its agricultural products like cotton, pigeon peas and soya, for example, so that crop produce stops to move direct from the garden to other countries thereby exporting the much needed employment opportunities for our economy.”

Mwanamvekha said government had spearheaded the establishment of a private – public dialogue to hasten the process of industrialisation by bringing together government and the private sector.

Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister  George Chaponda said government has taken industrialisation as a key aspect to the Malawi’s socio-economic growth. He said Lilongwe had embarked on the Green-Belt Initiative and Community Technical Colleges drives to fulfil the initiative.

Said Chaponda:“Malawi’s leadership has taken keen interest in the issue of industrialisation. Government has recently established 11 community technical colleges, set aside one million hectares for agricultural activities and is working on making the country a predominantly exporting economy.

“So, having said all these things, we need to understand that talking about industrialisation implies improving people’s livelihoods with free movement of people from Malawi to Zimbabwe and South Africa and so on and so forth,” he said, a thin veiled reference to the recent xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa.

“Whether we’re talking about AU [African Union], Sadc or Comesa, all the things are directly related in one way or the other.”

In his remarks, Sadc executive secretary Stergomena Lawrence Tax said approving the regional industrialisation strategy and roadmap would set the region’s path to industrialisation and socio-economic prosperity.

Tax said the strategy was anchored on three pillars that included the industrialisation, a champion of economic and technological transformation, among other things.

**Reporting by Arnold NamanJa in HARARE

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