Yaluma Underscores Youth and Women Role in Development

Commerce Minister Christopher Yaluma says it is imperative for African governments to embrace an inclusive approach to development.

Speaking at the just ended Economic Summit in Livingstone, Yaluma said that promoting inclusive growth is critical to sustainable economic development.

Yaluma said that regional blocks had deliberately prioritized inclusive social development to ensure that African continent attained higher levels of development.

“At regional level, the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) has an industrial policy whose major thrust is for economic transformation through inclusive and sustainable industrialization. Likewise, the Southern Africa Development Community and the SADC industrialization strategy which aims at promoting inclusive growth through the regional value chain development,” he said.

Yaluma noted the drive toward inclusive development was hindered by enormous challenges.

He said that infrastructural development was part of the strategy toward eliminating some of the challenges.

“Some of the challenges are poor infrastructure, low outdated technology, high dependence on extractive industries and low value addition. This has resulted in failure to generate economies of scale sufficient to propel industrialization,” he said.

Yaluma also noted that African countries still had limited access to global markets despite having signed numerous trade agreements.

He however said that some of the challenges were being addressed like the skills and entrepreneurship programs.

“Another notable intervention is the skills development and entrepreneurship project-supportig women and youth under the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission. Through this project government is constructing eight industrial yards, five which are near completion and ready for occupation in Chipata, Mongu, Ndola, Solwezi and Kasama,” he said.