On Africa Industrialization Day, Secretary-General Calls for Green, Digitally Connected Growth to Unlock Continent’s Potential

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for Africa Industrialization Day, observed on 20 November:

On Africa Industrialization Day, we celebrate the continent’s determination to transform its economies and build a sustainable future for all.

Across Africa, green industries are expanding — powered to a great extent by the ingenuity and entrepreneurship of women and youth.

At the same time, the African Continental Free Trade Area is opening a new era of opportunity — creating a unified market and laying the foundations for sustainable supply chains and shared prosperity across the region.

Yet challenges remain.  Climate change, mounting debt and food and energy insecurity all pose threats to Africa’s growth.

This year’s theme — Transforming Africa’s Economy through Sustainable Industrialization, Regional Integration and Innovation — highlights the urgent need for an industrial future that is both green and digitally connected.

To get there, we must reform the global financial architecture. That means delivering real debt relief, tripling the lending capacity of multilateral development banks and giving developing countries a more meaningful role in the economic institutions that govern their fate.

Sustainable industrialization is vital to unlocking Africa’s full potential and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

Let us work together to harness creativity, deepen regional ties and ensure that Africa’s growth benefits both people and planet.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Secretary-General.