| PHOTO: | Kenya's Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed during a past event. She has welcomed Western countries to set up industries in Africa. FILE PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NATION MEDIA GROUP |
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By:
AGGREY MUTAMBO
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| Posted:
May,20-2016 13:01:26
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Kenya's Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed says European investors can help discourage brain-drain and alleviate the immigration crisis by setting up industries in Africa, rather than poaching workers from the continent.
Speaking in Rome during the inaugural Italy-Africa Conference, Ms Mohamed argued Africa's talent can be retained in their countries by creating opportunities in their homelands, which in turn helps to tame the immigration crisis being witnessed in Europe.
"We do not want to export jobs. We want investment partnerships that undertake value addition to Africa's products within Africa and that ensure the continent benefits optimally from her own resources," she told an audience during a panel discussion on Africa-Italy partnerships, according to a statement released on Thursday.
The conference, which opened on Wednesday, brings together 45 trade ministers from around the continent, leaders from the African Union, and representatives from the UN and the European Union.
Meant to address the challenges of economic sustainability in Africa, the Italian government is hosting the event to also discuss the challenges of trade and investment between Italian businesspeople and African countries.
But it comes at a time when the continent is fighting brain drain, and migration of its workers seeking better pay, improved working conditions and a better life.
Ms Mohamed said that establishing industries for value addition to Africa's products will discourage "exportation of millions of jobs" to the developed world and benefit the increasing number of unemployed youth.
In Kenya, official figures indicate about 30,000 Kenyans leave the country for studies and related travels abroad but only a third return on completing their studies.
Though Kenya receives about three per cent of tGDP from remissions by the three million Kenyans in the diaspora, certain sectors of the economy have suffered, the CS told the audience.
IMMENSE CONTRIBUTION
She told the audience that agriculture, energy and related areas can benefit the continent immensely if investors helped improve product quality.
Agriculture contributes about a third of Africa’s entire GDP, according to the World Bank and supports livelihoods of eight in every 10 people on the continent.
But most of it is subsistence agriculture meaning that farmers simply sell direct produce that cannot compete on the world stage.
"This creates business opportunities for the manufacture and marketing of products such as fertilizers, pesticides and seeds as well as a demand for food processing and agro-processing such as grain refining, value addition and packaging," she said.
For Kenya, Ms Mohamed said there are plenty of these opportunities in agriculture, especially in the textile industry and commodities such as tea and coffee, and in energy production.
"There are opportunities for private investors to partner with African public and private sectors in the development of under-performing infrastructure including investing in reliable power supply, water resources, roads and railway systems," said the Cabinet secretary.
She added: "Kenya is a major player in the development of sustainable energy sources, with the government and private sector pursuing opportunities in geothermal, solar and wind. Huge opportunities are available in the country and we welcome Italian investors to venture into the sector."
Addressing the conference, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said his country is keen on developing a long-term partnership with Africa by paying attention to innovation.
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