PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has called on youths and entrepreneurs in the Sadc bloc to embrace technology and innovation for regional development.
Mnangagwa made the remarks as the incoming Sadc chair at the 44th Ordinary Session of the Sadc Heads State and Government Summit held in Mt Hampden, just outside Harare, at the weekend.
The summit was held under the theme, Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustained Economic Growth and Development towards an Industrialised Sadc.
“We must ensure that youth and entrepreneurs, including women, embrace technology and innovation revolution for development,” Mnangagwa said.
He stressed the importance of developing innovative strategies across sectors to stay ahead of the fourth industrial revolution and build sustainable prosperity.
Mnangagwa said countries should implement initiatives under innovation hub programmes to transform livelihoods and economies.
Also addressing the summit, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) executive secretary Claver Gatete said Sadc could lead Africa in home-grown solutions in domestic resource mobilisation and innovative financing to fight climate impacts and sustain development.
Gatete’s remarks came as Africa is facing financial and climate challenges, including the sovereign debt of over US$1 trillion, which has caused fiscal stress, with about one in three countries in or at high risk of debt distress.
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Touching on the immense opportunities in the region, Gatete said Sadc was home to most of the world’s gold, copper, cobalt, lithium, chromium, graphite, platinum as well as significant livestock and agricultural endowments.
If these resources were all scaled up, he said, the region could reap the benefits of sustainable industrialisation, achieve food security and increased jobs and skills to reduce poverty and inequalities.
“There is no reason why Africa should import food to the tune of US$120 billion per year when Sadc can be Africa’s breadbasket,” Gatete said.
He said the region offered potential to widen export markets within the beef and leather value chains and in the realm of renewable resources.
“Sadc can be a continental energy provider with the development of this value chain as it is using only 1% of its solar and wind energy potential,” Gatete said.
He said rapid industrialisation was now “a matter of absolute necessity”, adding that leveraging technology and innovation for sustainable industrialisation underpinned regional co-operation and partnerships to unlock Sadc economic growth opportunities.
“We have no choice but to look inward for homegrown solutions, including domestic resource mobilisation and innovative financing for climate to sustain our development. Each Sadc country can be a cluster leader of innovation and breakthroughs and ECA stands ready to partner with you on this journey,” Gatete said.
Angolan President João Lourenço, the outgoing Sadc chairperson, highlighted progress made by the region in various sectors, including in energy, transport and water resources and internet coverage.
This includes connectivity as Sadc has mobile network coverage of 86% and about half of the population has internet access.
“I urge member States to continue investing in energy infrastructure to increase production, transmission and diversification of energy sources and adopt sustainable practices to promote economic development,” Lourenço said.
