PPPs critical to foster growth

PUBLIC- Private Partnerships (PPPs) is crucial to foster digital development of industry and trade in Southern Africa, says Economic Commission for Southern Africa (ECA SRO- SA) acting Director, Sizo Mhlanga.

Mr Mhlanga said industrialisation could not be economically viable without trade and that trade could not bring significant benefits to Southern Africa without progress.

He hoped that the African Continental Free Trade Area would help Southern Africa achieve industrialisation and trade for greater prosperity.

He said this at a Conference of Ministers of Finance (COM2021) side event.

“These two economic forces [trade and industrialisation] must be developed together.

“And when it comes to trade in Africa, more of it should come from the region itself, to allow the region to industrialize and reduce its dependence on volatile global markets,” Mr Mhlanga.

Mr Mhlanga said digitalisation was fast becoming an increasing priority for SADC and African Member States as witnessed by the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy and the SADC Digital

2027 Agenda.

Digitalisation, he added, was a lever in the building back better process in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Both the public and the private sectors must increasingly collaborate if the region is to address its myriad of development challenges.

“The event was critical for the region to progress further on the achievement of SDG 9 to reduce poverty, create decent jobs, empower women and youth and reduce inequalities.

The side event was organised to analyse and discuss the role that digitalisation can and should play in fostering trade and industrial development in the region as well as what such a role implies for PPS in Southern Africa.

The side event generated constructive dialogue amongst members of the public sector, private sector and non-governmental organisations in analysing how digitalization can aid trade, industrial transformation and the advancement of Sustainable Development Goal 9 on “Industry, innovation and infrastructure” in SADC.