Africa Industrialization Week 2022

1. The African Union Summit on Africa’s Industrialization and Economic Diversification aims to highlight Africa’s renewed determination and commitment to industrialization as one of the central pillars in attaining the continent’s economic growth and development goals as articulated in Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030.

2. In light of the key and strategic interdependencies between industrialization and the AfCFTA Agreement, the Summit aims to rally desired political momentum, resources, partnerships and alliances towards an Africa-Industrialization drive. This is along the continent’s resolve to drive structural transformation, built around leveraging Africa’s rich and diverse natural resources, while at the same time embracing current advances in technologies, continental and global geo-socio-political trends and emergence of tradable services.

3. The Summit is anticipated to unlock the evolution of a vibrant Pan-African enterprise and capital base that will unleash an inclusive and sustainable industrialization pathway that carries along the participation of all economic agents, including SMEs, youth, and women in the generation of national wealth and creation of jobs as well as expansion of entrepreneurship opportunities for Africa’s populations. The impacts of the novel coronavirus pandemic continue to dictate the urgent and imperative need for bold actions to drive transformative change in key economic pillars such as Industrialization.

1. Decide on a renewed continental policy framework on Africa’s industrialization aimed at rallying the continent’s resolve and commitment to a bold set of policy and investment actions to accelerate the continent’s industrialization drive.

2. Reinforce the development of regional industrial value chains to clearly articulate Africa’s quest to industrialize, create jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for Africa’s MSMEs, youth and women within the context of current and emerging continental and global socio-economic trends.

3. Provide high-level political support to drive a globally competitive Africa-Industrialization Programme through public-private alliances, at the national, regional, continental level, and aligned global policy coherence, coordination and linkages, and investment financing. This should take full cognizance of current and emerging key cross-sector needs including energy and water, education and training, science, technology and innovation, climate change, environmental resilience and crisis management.

1. Renewed high-level political resolve and commitment to accelerate Africa’s Industrialization alongside advances on the AfCFTA provisions.

2. Policy decision for an AU-led broad-based, cross-sector consultation to develop an up-to-date, implementable and results-based Africa-Industrialization Policy Framework, embracing gains and lessons from the continent’s experiences, taking cognizance of current and emerging global trends, with special attention to the continent’s inclusive social and economic development priorities. 

3. Agreement on a compact between governments and Africa’s private sector, academia and the civil society to bring about desired and aligned policy decisions, investment financing, institutional and human capital dedicated towards Africa-Industrialization, to boost prospects for the AfCFTA implementation.