Ministerial Conference calls development of industrialisation

Ministers at the 13th meeting of the Conference of African Ministers of Industry, yesterday urged Africa's development and implantation of programmes for the Alliance of Africa's industrialisation. The ministers also approved the creation of a Patron Group for Africa's Industrialisation and a plan of action for the Alliance of Africa's Industrialisation for the next decade. These were among a number of recommendation made by 35 ministers at the end of their conference in Accra. The Ministers also approved the creation of a steering committee to co-ordinate and develop programmes to promote industrialization in African countries. They asked Heads of State at the next OAU Summit in Harare next month to "take the necessary action to create to create greater awareness particularly among the Presidents of the world bank, Commission of European Communities and African Development bank to incorporate the objectives of the Plan of Action for the Alliance in their programmes at continental level" They asked UNIDO , the ECA and the OAU to organize a donors meeting next year, under the leadership of the African Development Bank to decide on measures to be taken to finance programmes in the plan of action for Africa's industrialization. The Minister expressed their support for straightening of UNIDO whose role they said "is crucial in support of the industrialization of Africa. They asked UNIDO to give a report of the meeting to all its members and to submit it as an official document to the seventh General Conference of UNIDO to be held in Vienna in December, this year. Ghanaian Times