The Sunday News
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
VICE President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has called on Africa to make the continent a united and prosperous economic super power, utilising its abundant natural resources.
Africa is richly endowed with mineral reserves and ranks first in quantity of world reserves of bauxite, cobalt, industrial diamond, phosphate rock, platinum, gold, titanium and chrome among others.
The continent is believed to possess a significant proportion of global reserves: 30 percent of bauxite, 60 percent of manganese, 75 percent of phosphates, 85 percent of platinum, 80 percent of chrome, 60 percent of cobalt, 30 percent of titanium, 75 percent of diamonds and nearly 40 percent of gold.
Addressing delegates during the inaugural Connect Africa Symposium at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo yesterday, VP Chiwenga said: “Today’s meeting gives us an opportunity to work on developing the African continent. Over the last few decades, we have been making trajectory towards making our beloved continent a united and prosperous economic super power. Africa remains a very rich continent with unlimited potential yet to be explored and harnessed for the benefit of all people.”
He said with the African leaders speaking one voice they can ensure that the continent’s economic growth is in line with the AU 2063 Agenda.
VP Chiwenga said as Africans there was need to have a united economic front and speak with one political voice.
“There are numerous opportunities for continental development and the most recent one is the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area whose aim is to accelerate intra African trade and advance Africa’s trade position in the global market by strengthening Africa’s common voice and policy space in global trade negotiations,” he said.
He said all this feeds into the overall continental socio-economic development, but none of it can be achieved without solidarity.
On Innovation, the VP noted how the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the need for Africans to invest in research and production of vaccines.
“The key lessons from COVID-19 experience for Zimbabwe and the rest of Africa, I believe are that firstly, not much can be achieved in isolation Continents prioritised the safety and welfare of their people and we were left to realise as Africans that that we are on our own and there is there an inherent need for us to work together towards common goals based on Ubuntu,” he added.
Minister of Industry and Commerce, Dr Sekai Nzenza said was indeed time to rethink, reimagine and reinvent the Africa we want.
Minister of Industry and Commerce, Dr Sekai Nzenza
She said the key strategy was transforming Africa from a raw material exporter to a producer that adds value to the global value chain.
Among the delegation present were a representative of the United Economic Commission for Africa, Mr Batanai Chikwene, the Angolan Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Mr Amadeu Leitão Nunes, African Development Bank (AFDB) Zimbabwe country manager, Ms Moono Mupotola and Afreximbank principal economist Dr Anthony Ebo Coleman.
The Connect Africa Symposium, which was part of activities lined up on the third day of the ZITF brought together local as well as regional political and economic players to look at possible solutions to the socio-economic challenges facing the African content.
The Symposium ran under the theme: “Re-Imagining the Future: A united, A Prosperous Africa’ was on uniting Africa for prosperity.”
