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Conrad Mwanawashe Business Reporter
The export of primary products and unprocessed ore is not only limiting southern Africa’s mineral rich states’ earnings capacity but also minimising employment benefits and wealth diversification. Lack of beneficiation and value addition is also exposing the region to fluctuations of the global resource markets, a senior Government official has said.

Addressing the Experts Review Workshop on the SADC Industrilisation Strategy Framework, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Joey Bimha said mineral resources can play a significant role in contributing to the development of the region if properly exploited and value added.

SADC is in the process of crafting an industrialisation strategy roadmap. The workshop, being hosted by the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre which has embarked on an independent process to facilitate the input of experts into the ongoing process of crafting a SADC industrialisation strategy roadmap.

Ambassador Bimha said SADC decided that only through value addition and beneficiation could the region begin to chart a path towards a solid industialisation strategy.

“We have to effect a paradigm shift from being sellers of raw commodities to selling value added products. Without adding value and beneficiating our products, market liberalisation would be an exercise in futility,” said Amb Bimha.

The 34th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government overwhelmingly endorsed the theme “SADC Strategy for Economic Transformation: Leveraging the Region’s Diverse Resources for Sustainable Economic and Social Development through Beneficiation and Value Addition”.

SADC mandated its structures with the assistance of technical experts to develop a strategy and roadmap for industrialisation of the region and submit it for consideration at its extraordinary session in April 2015.