President Muhammadu Buhari has established priorities for Africa's industrialization by 2030.
President Buhari urged African countries to tailor their educational systems and academic curricula toward Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in his National Statement delivered yesterday in Niamey, the capital of Niger Republic, at the AU Summit on Industrialisation and Economic Diversification in Africa (STEM).
STEM, according to the President, is the "short path" to producing the next generation of managers for an industrialised Africa that is not reliant on expatriates.
He urged African leaders to address the issue of generating cheap and clean energy, saying, "it is no secret that we cannot industrialize the continent unless we address the issue of generating cheap and clean energy."
"Energy generation and distribution are enablers of industrialisation," Buhari added. Africa is endowed with numerous energy generation sources. We have an abundance of hydrocarbons, coal, natural gas, solar energy, and hydro-energy. However, we lack the capacity to generate clean, low-cost electricity to power our production and manufacturing sectors.
"I hope that this Summit will provide us with the opportunity to explore the possibilities of collaboration in pooling resources on a continental scale to address the continent's vexing problem of energy generation and distribution."
"I say this because it is no secret that we will not be able to industrialize the continent unless we solve the problem of producing cheap and clean energy."
"The African continent has a large youth population."
"The African continent has a large youth population that can help us address our labor shortages." As a result, we must capitalize on the continent's abundant human resource potential by providing our youth with high-quality, job-relevant education that meets labor-market demands.
"In this regard, we need to restructure our educational system and academic curricula to emphasize Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics." This is the quickest way to train the next generation of managers for the industrial complex we envision, one that will not rely on expatriates."
President Buhari also told the AU Summit that implementing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) would help the continent's quest for an industrial revolution.
He expressed hope that the Summit's outcome would set the African continent on the path to poverty eradication, food security, and technological advancement, all of which are goals outlined in the AU Agenda 2063 and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
He praised the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for the progress it has made in developing countries through inclusive and sustainable industrial development plans, providing the framework for implementing UN decisions, and assisting the AU in several initiatives for growth and sustainable development.
He stated that collaborative efforts have the potential to ensure an Africa that is integrated, prosperous, and peaceful.
The Nigerian president also told African leaders that industrialization and economic diversification are the keys to unlocking economic growth and building a prosperous continent.
"They are the solution to Africa's socioeconomic challenges, particularly those exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the effects of climate change, terrorism, and conflict."
“They are the solution to the socio-economic challenges that have bedevilled Africa, particularly those worsened by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as the effects of climate change, terrorism and banditry,” he added.
