By MAIMBOLWA MULIKELELA –
THE Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has urged member States to focus on implementing natural resource-based industrialisation.
COMESA secretary general Sindiso Ngwenya said implementing natural resource-based industrialisation including labour intensive industries would help stimulate African economies.
This would contribute to structural changes in the COMESA economy that would witness backwards and forward linkages and participation in the regional and global value chains.
Speaking during the 20th anniversary of COMESA in Lusaka, Mr Ngwenya said there was also need to review existing education curricula to produce educated and skilled manpower for economies that would create jobs instead of being job seekers.
“This is a critical factor for social and economic transformation,” Mr Ngwenya said.
Smart investment in human capital would be the basis for the qualitative and quantitative leap of COMESA through regional integration.
“As we move forward, infrastructure will be a key factor of economic growth and transformation of the COMESA economy,” he said.