Focus on SMEs at UNIDO's India-Africa Conference
on South-South Cooperation

Action Plan Soon to Boost
Industry & Investment

Africa continues to be the focus of global attention. Recognizing the immense potential that the vibrant continent offers for investment in industry and trade, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in cooperation with the Government of India has recently organized a global conference in New Delhi to address this issue of global importance.

The proceedings of the five-day conference, held from 10 to 14 September 2007 will constitute a blueprint of an action plan to promote south-south cooperation with countries of Africa. This blue print will be drawn up soon by the recently set up UNIDO Centre for South-South Industrial Cooperation (UCSSIC).

The selected industry sectors for cooperation would include cluster development, pharmaceuticals, low-cost housing and building materials, renewable energy, leather, Information and Communication Technology applications in industry, food processing and traditional knowledge and medicines.
Participants from 13 African countries said they had learnt a lot about India's industrial experience over the last five days, and evinced particular interest in cluster development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), while participating in the valedictory session of the Conference dedicated to the memory of Prof. Sanjaya Lall, which was chaired by Ajay Shanker, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Government of India.
Speakers during the session included N. N. Prasad, Joint Secretary, DIPP; Philippe Scholtes, Representative and Regional Director of UNIDO; Anthony de Sa, Director/UCSSIC; representatives of UNCTAD/ITC, and participating civil servants and private sector business representatives of the 13 countries of Africa.

Describing the deliberations as productive and useful, Shanker said it had helped create a critical mass of interaction and personal relationships which needed to be built upon to carry the process of south-south cooperation forward. He also underlined the need and space for creative industrial policies and programmes, which would lead to results.

On his part, Prasad stressed the need for further boosting the momentum generated by the event through country-specific action plans and monitoring of the progress. Scholtes spoke of the interest being expressed by developing countries to share best practices for industrial development and said that UNIDO was setting up a global network of South-South centres, which included the UCSSIC set up earlier this year in India, as well as the centre proposed to be established soon in China. He said the Conference marked the first step in the road to stronger trade and industrial relations with Africa, brokered by UNIDO.