Windhoek
As SADC countries drive towards industrialisation, there is a need to plan ahead to ensure that water does not become a constraint, both in quality and quantity in order to achieve the aspirations set out in the regional industrialisation strategy.
These were the remarks of senior programme officer of the SADC Transboundary Water Secretariat Phera Ramoeli at the opening of the seventh SADC Multi-stakeholder Water Dialogue currently underway in Windhoek.
“If you don’t have water, forget about industrialisation, even cleaning,” Ramoeli said, as power generation, refineries, construction, agriculture, metals and mining all require large volumes of treated water in their production processes.
He says there is no doubt that industrialisation would contribute to the development of the region, but economic growth and industrialisation invariably involve an increase in the demand for water.
He explained that water is a critical resource in the industrialisation process, as almost every industrial process requires water and the demand grows in tandem with the growth of the industrial base.
Dr Kenneth Msibi, also from the SADC Secretariat, who presented the “SADC industrialisation roadmap and strategy – entitled ‘Aspirations and the Way Forward’ – urged member states to catch up, as many still lag behind in terms of industrial development. He said in most SADC states, there is no evidence of positive structural change, but rather organisational regression.
“Employment is greatest in the lowest productivity sector: agriculture. However, in the two highest productivity sectors it averages just 3 percent of the workforce. Workers are either staying in low-income agriculture or leap-frogging industry altogether, thus moving from agriculture to the service sector, and or to the informal sector. We need to catch up, we are really behind,” he said.
Msibi noted that since 1990 the service sector and mining have been the fastest-growing sectors, while manufacturing and agriculture have lagged behind. Presenting data on trends in the manufacturing sector, Msibi indicated that tobacco and textile industries in the region are declining, while rubber and plastics are rising.
“The umbilical cord connecting industrialisation and investment cannot be overemphasised, hence a sound investment climate is critical. More successful exporters have more productive manufacturing. While we are poor, we need to push. Let us not run away from efficiency and competitiveness.”
He said there is a severe deficit in the skills needed for industrial development, especially science, technology, engineering and mathematics training. According to him, women’s representation is also lacking in the said sectors, thus hampering industrialisation.
“We don’t have female counterparts in our sectors. About 90 percent of career teachers are women. So our children end up not taking science and mathematics. We can’t drive these industries if people are not taking these fields [of study]. That is why we end up importing these skills,” he stressed.
He further said increased spending on formal academic education is essential, but not a sufficient condition for industrialisation. Education systems need to be restructured with a focus on technical and vocational skills, especially those needed for a modern and knowledge economy, he argued.
He also encouraged SADC member states to identify centres of excellence and specialisation, as well as to link universities with key industries. Moreover, Mbidi urged member states to facilitate the unfettered movement of factors of production, including capital and skills within the SADC region.