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African nations must focus on internal solutions, including domestic resource mobilisation and innovative financing for climate initiatives, to sustain development, according to the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Executive Secretary, Claver Gatete.
In a statement issued on Friday in Lusaka, Gatete warned that fragmented approaches would not create jobs or reduce poverty and inequality on the continent.
“During recent visits to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, rich in minerals like gold, copper, and lithium, it became clear that regional value chains could drive sustainable industrialisation,” Gatete said.
He highlighted the potential for food security across Africa, noting that the continent’s annual food imports, which total US$120 billion, are alarming. Regions like SADC, he added, have the capacity to become Africa’s breadbasket.
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“ECA’s initiatives, such as the Zambia-Zimbabwe Common Agro Industrial Park, are a step toward food self-sufficiency, with the potential to expand this model across the continent,” he said.
Gatete also stated that Africa’s critical minerals, such as copper and lithium, could foster fair and inclusive prosperity, but cautioned that the window of opportunity for leveraging these resources was closing rapidly.
The ECA-Afreximbank pre-feasibility study on the DRC-Zambia transboundary battery-electric vehicle (BEV) value chain was highlighted as a proof of concept for developing other mineral-based value chains in Africa.
Technological innovation was another key area of focus.
Gatete cited the partnership with Botswana on smart agriculture technologies as an example of how technology could aid climate change adaptation and unlock new growth avenues in sectors such as health, education, finance and transport.
He further noted that the ECA had partnered with the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) to conduct feasibility studies in the beef and leather sectors, with plans for continent-wide replication.
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