“A strong manufacturing sector boosts a country’s intellectual capital and innovation, driving the growth in demand for skilled workers and scientists,” said Davies.

The next phase of Africa’s growth has to be rooted in a new paradigm of manufacturing and adding value to the products Africa is endowed with, Davies said.

“When we manufacture, we need to ensure that we have markets for which we produce, beginning with the continental market.  A globally competitive manufacturing sector creates a sustainable economic system, encourages domestic and foreign investment, creates employment and improves a country’s balance of payments.

“It also creates employment beyond the manufacturing sector in supportive sectors such as financial services, infrastructure, information systems and education.”

Davies also pointed out that the need for integration in Africa was critical.

“Such integration, however, must not only entail institutionalised market integration but must entail ‘development integration’, which emphasises cross-border infrastructure development as a means to strengthen and deepen industrialisation and create manufacturing value-chains in Africa.

“As an overarching imperative, African countries must defend their policy space to craft industrial policies which will place our continent on a sustainable and inclusive growth trajectory,” he said.