‘Africa is world’s biggest exporter of jobs’

22112010. Home affairs Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma was the keynote speaker at the launch of the 2010 SADC Gender Protocol Barometer and 16 Days of No Violence against Women at the Irene Country Lodge Picture: Sizwe Ndingane

22112010. Home affairs Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma was the keynote speaker at the launch of the 2010 SADC Gender Protocol Barometer and 16 Days of No Violence against Women at the Irene Country Lodge Picture: Sizwe Ndingane

Published May 21, 2015

Share

Cape Town - Africa was the world’s biggest exporter of jobs, Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Thursday.

“Africa is the biggest exporter of jobs. When we export raw materials, we export jobs with it too,” said Dlamini-Zuma.

The former South African Minister of Health, and later Minister of Foreign Affairs was speaking at the China-Africa Colloquium hosted by UCT’s Confucius Institute in the International Academic Programmes Office (IAPO), Centre for African Studies, and Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA). The colloquium was titled “Evolving Sino-African Relations”.

“We are the biggest exporters of jobs, yet we have the highest unemployment rates. We export revenue too when we export raw materials,” Dlamini-Zuma said. “This is something we must deal with.”

In delivering her keynote address, Dlamini-Zuma discussed some of the challenges Africa faced in transforming its economic situation, aligning it with Agenda 2063. Agenda 2063 was the AU’s vision and action plan to transform the African continent.

“Agriculture in the rest of Africa is in the hands of women but many do not have land rights, and they are still using handheld hoes,” said Dlamini-Zuma. This issue was of one of the problem areas identified through Agenda 2063.

“We are looking to abolish the handheld hoe and send it to the museum,” she said.

Dlamini-Zuma said within the next ten years, the AU would look to bring in new technology which would free up female farmers’ time and help with increased productivity.

“We are also looking to ensure they have land rights,” said Dlamini-Zuma. “In many countries, women do not have land rights, so we are looking to work with them and share the lessons of those who do grant women these rights.”

Another challenge facing Africa, according to Dlamini-Zuma, was the disconnectedness of the continent. “We can’t be integrated if I can’t drive from here to Somalia. We are physically disconnected,” said Dlamini-Zuma. “So, we want to ensure our capital cities are linked by road, by air, and by rail.”

Dlamini-Zuma added that the continent had thus far missed the opportunity to use its marine space to its full potential. “Our land space is about 30 million square kilometres and our marine space is almost three times that amount, yet we have not developed the blue economy,” she said.

Dlamini-Zuma said Africa was allowing its two oceans and two seas to be “exploited by other people”.

Additional steps for progress on the the continent, Dlamini-Zuma suggested, included providing African youth with education – specifically science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; employment; water and sanitation, and health; ensuring the integration of clean and renewable energy; protecting Africa’s natural environment; empowering women; and ensuring peace and security throughout the continent.

“Currently, there are only small pockets in Africa that do not have peace and security,” said Dlamini-Zuma.

But, according to her, if Africa did not succeed in tackling its other challenges, peace would not be sustainable. “If there is unemployment and starvation, of course there will be revolt.”

ANA

Related Topics: