Support for industrialization in Africa received a boost last week with the launch of the Made in Africa Initiative (MIAI) Senior Advisory Board, an initiative that will create a strategic network of top development leaders’ minds to help facilitate the sustainable development of industrialization and economic transformation in Africa by drawing experiences from China and other emerging economies, in line with targets set out by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With the expected relocation of light manufacturing from China and other emerging market economies to Africa, African nations are perfectly poised to create the next manufacturing hub for global markets on the continent. However, there are a variety of challenges facing African nations as they look to modernize their economic structures. The Made in Africa Initiative looks to ensure that Africa takes full advantage of these opportunities, whilst ensuring that future industrialization follows a sustainable, inclusive model of growth.

“By leveraging the expertise of leading industry experts and influential persons with experience working in China and Africa, the Made In Africa Initiative will ensure that Africa’s economic transition integrate knowledge and advice drawn from three decades of rapid economic development in China. By identifying both opportunities and challenges early on, African nations can customize a development model that suits local development needs and priorities in support of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals!” said Nicholas Rosellini, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to China.

The Senior Advisory Board, launched during the backdrop of the International Conference for Emerging Africa (ICEA) in Côte d’Ivoire, consists of a group of up to 15 high-level, influential persons in China, Africa and the World, co-chaired by Professor Justin Yifu Lin, Director of Center for New Structural Economics at Peking University, and Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa. Mr. Lin and Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye spoke at the launch alongside other influential persons, including MIAI CEO Ms. Helen Hai, discussing the wider range of opportunities the China-Africa cooperation can present for sustainable industrial development.

“African nations can learn a lot from the successful development experiences of East Asian economies such as China,” noted Professor Justin Yifu Lin, Director, Center for New Structural Economics at Peking University during the discussions.

The Senior Advisory Board will provide intellectual and strategic guidance to assist and promote the universally agreed SDGs. In the long term it will provide a partnership to deepen the impact of production-led growth while ensuring sustainable dimensions in close response to demand from UNDP partner countries. Members of the board fully support industrialization in Africa.

During the launch Helen Hai, CEO of the Made in Africa Initiative (MIAI) & UNIDO Goodwill Ambassador for Industrialization in Africa emphasized that, “ensuring that knowledge sharing accompanies the relocation of light manufacturing industries from these nations to Africa will be central to achieving a successful, sustainable transition.”

Mr. Nicholas Rosellini, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to China is visiting Africa (Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Ethiopia) between March 27th and April 6th.