Malawi's collaboration with neighbouring countries has potential to accelerate regional development

The government says collaboration in industrialization with neighbouring countries can help the region develop, writes Judgement Katika.

Malawi: The government says collaboration in industrialization with neighbouring countries can help the region develop, writes Judgement Katika.

Speaking at the launch of the National Export Strategy 2021-2026 in Lilongwe on Thursday, Trade Minister Mark Katsonga Phiri, stated that industrialization is central to our economies' structural transition and that if countries can implement their ideas together, countries can easily develop faster.

He went on to say that gathering is one of the forms of industrialization development, as is the contribution of ideas.

"We are politically independent, but economically we are not," he said.

"Let us unite because our countries have different resources and ideas that can be shared; Africa has many resources, so if we can work together, we can easily develop."

He went on to say that if the country can improve its resources into a finished product and export it to the surrounding countries with no borders, it will undergo a total transformation.

He did, however, emphasise the importance of including SMEs, claiming that they can help reduce unemployment by providing jobs to others.

"SMEs are the foundation of industrial development; every company begins small, so companies should not ignore Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and I am inviting them to my Ministry to learn about what the government can do for them,” he said.

He then urged stakeholders to begin implementing the policies that had been discussed.

Ms Olayinka Bandele, Chief of Inclusive Industrialization in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNECA Sub-Regional Office Southern Africa, said that industrialization is the only way to support the country's development that requires technology and a process that requires skills for the production of consumer goods.

She went on to say that industrialization is a means of achieving prosperity.

"Industrialization is a secondary sector that requires processes that can help the country develop faster, such as agriculture, which requires human capital for productivity, and it is also a transition to prosperity, which is part of the 2063 agenda," she said.

She went on to say that the meeting will build on the work that has already been done and will focus on implementation and resource gaps.

"So what we want to do is talk to practitioners, develop an action plan, and try to find what we're looking for, particularly challenges," she explained.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa hosted a regional dialogue forum on the promotion and implementation of regional and national industrialization policies, which drew practitioners from countries such as Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, as well as Malawi.