THE outgoing Resident Representative of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Sierra Leone, Dr Samuel Ofori Onwona, has called on African leaders to learn a lesson from the recent positions taken by the United Kingdom and other European nations in the heat of the Euro Zone crisis.
According to him, there was the need for African nations to look within by utilising natural resources in order to maximise developmental benefits.
“It is unacceptable to look outside when trade protocols need to be ratified and ensure they function appropriately as a way of incorporating industrialisation into the continent’s growth,” he said.
Dr Onwona made the call at a business development workshop for exporters on the side lines of the Ghana International Export Fair held in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The 10-day solo exhibition was put together by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA) and the Ghana High Commission in Sierra Leone, with sponsorship from the Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF).
According to Dr Onwona, Africa’s failure to identify its own prospects had weakened its growth potential, thereby giving undue advantage to Chinese imports which were virtually collapsing the few industries that were still in operation across the continent.
The Minister of Trade and Industry for Sierra Leone, Dr Richard Konteh, who chaired the function, expressed regret that although Africa produced the chunk of the raw materials the world needed, it continued to depend more on imports from other countries than African countries exchanged among themselves.
SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Dec 20, 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment