AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT ON INDUSTRIALIZATION

AND ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION.

ESSAY CONTEST FOR AFRICAN YOUNG PEOPLE

- All essays must be sent to AIW2022@africa-union.org by the 30th of
September 2022 at 23:59 pm EAT.
- Authors must also sign and send a copy of the attached Attestation of
Authorization form.
- More about the Summit on - https://au.int/en/summit-africa-
industrialization-economic

Theme:
Our youth should inspire the way we think and act, and they shape the society we live
in. As an African youth, what kind of industrialization should be prioritized to maximize
the synergies with Africa’s development agenda towards the overarching objective of
achieving sustainable development and prosperity for all? In doing so, how can our
African leaders best pursue the envisaged industrialization pathway?

1. Purpose of the Essay Competition

The essay contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, creativity, and
initiative of the African youth in promoting a culture of sustainable development in
Africa, with a particular focus on industrialization and innovation in Africa. It
also aims to inspire African society to learn from the young minds and to think about
how each of them can make a difference in our continent’s future. In a nutshell, the
essay contest will serve to open up dynamic conversations and spur reflection and
action by leaders on addressing issues on Industrialisation from the perspective of
young people and push for much-needed reforms. The essay contest is organized by
the African Union Commission as an activity within the preparation for the upcoming
African Union Summit on Industrialization and Economic Diversification, scheduled to
be held in Niger, in November 2022.

2. Background and Context

Africa’s Agenda 2063 – The Africa We Want, puts our continental aspirations on a path
to sustained long-term structural transformation, with a growing youthful population,
vast mineral resource endowments, significant improvements in the governance and
business environments, a growing middle class, private sector investment growth and
progress in accessing and adapting Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies.

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Industrialization is crucial for African Member States to transform their economies,
create jobs, add value, and promote trade through greater integration into
regional/global value chains. Africa has the potential to accelerate industrialization due
to the convergence of a set of factors that is creating a new window of opportunity:
§ Emerging technologies and innovation associated with the Fourth Industrial
Revolution (4IR), which have the potential to raise the African production
capacities and improve income levels as well as the quality of life for its
populations;
§ The dynamic context and development imperatives of the African continent,
including the demographic dividend, and to the global state of affairs, with special
focus on the imperative for African countries to transform their economies, create
jobs, add value and promote trade through greater integration into regional/global
value chains;
§ The relentless and severe social and economic shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic
have also catalysed a number of opportunities; driven by our recognition of the
systemic governance weaknesses and priority response imperatives to change the
way we do business and to re-configure our economic development narratives;
§ Commencement of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
spurred significant opportunities and a need to maximise the continent’s capacity
to benefit from it. As we know, once fully implemented, the AfCFTA could create a
single African market for goods and services, covering an estimated 1.2 billion
people with a combined GDP of over USD $2.5 trillion across the 55 AU Member
States;
§ The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)’s decision to dedicate the period
2016-2025 to the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA III)
presents another opportunity to rally global partnerships and efforts to work as a
collective to drive structural transformation in Africa; and
§ Recognition of the critical role of the private sector and entrepreneurship in Africa.

Africa’s industrialization policies are grounded in manufacturing, due to its multiplier

effects on other sectors of the economy and its link with innovation, productivity,
technological evolution, increased jobs, and economic growth. Despite these
assumptions, Africa’s potential industrialization pathway in the current global context
calls for innovative strategies that extend beyond traditional manufacturing activities
to include a wider range of economic sectors that are relevant to the African context
and have potential for increased economic growth, innovation, and employment and
wealth creation. These include “industries without smokestacks” or tradable services
such as tourism, agro-industry production methods, ICT and alike. The opportunities
presented by such sectors for accelerating Africa’s industrialization are key in the
context of rapid technological advances characterising the global Fourth Industrial
Revolution.

As we embark on the creation of a continental free trade area, the full realisation of
this ambitious project requires not only phasing out tariff and non-tariff trade barriers
but also a concerted effort to strengthen Africa’s resilience through improved regional
integration of local manufacturing, production, and supply chains, and stronger
MSMEs, regional markets and trade. Firstly, AfCFTA advocates for adopting
coordinated industrial policies that enable countries to produce more sophisticated
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goods and services to trade, reduce constraints to industrialization and both align with
existing policies focused on economic diversification, structural transformation,
environmental sustainability, and technological development.

Furthermore, African countries also need to embrace innovative industrialization

strategies that include high-potential entrepreneurial activities. Finally, micro, small
and medium-sized firms with high-potential for growth and wealth creation should be
enabled to usher in innovative business models and complement the growth of large
companies in driving Africa’s accelerated industrialization.

3. AU Summit on Industrialization and Economic Diversification:

In light of the key and strategic interdependencies between industrialization and the
AfCFTA, the Summit aims to rally desired political momentum, resources, partnerships
and alliances towards an Africa-Industrialization drive. This is along the continent’s
resolve to drive structural transformation, built around leveraging Africa’s rich and
diverse natural resources, while at the same time embracing current advances in
technologies, continental and global geo-socio-political trends, and the emergence of
tradable services.

The Summit is expected to catalyze the evolution of a vibrant pan-African enterprise

and capital base that will unleash an accelerated and sustainable industrialization
pathway that is inclusive of all economic agents, including MSMEs, youth, and women.
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to drive the urgent and imperative
need for bold actions to drive transformative change in key economic pillars such as
industrialization.

In preparation for the Summit and for a decision by the Heads of State to renew and
strengthen Africa’s industrialization framework, there is a need for the development
of a clear, evidence-based policy brief to increase the awareness of our policy decision-
makers of the imperative. Furthermore, the said policy brief is envisaged to promote
discussion/decision on this matter during all AU Statutory Meetings to be held all the
way to the next Ordinary Summit.
Summit Theme: “Industrialising Africa: Renewed Commitment Towards Inclusive
and Sustainable Industrialization and Economic Diversification”

4. Awards:
The following awards will be given to the three best essays respectively:

1st Prize will receive:

§ AUC issued Certificate
§ Round trip from home country to the AU Summit on Industrialization and Economic
Diversification in Niamey, Niger.
§ Accommodation during the said Summit
§ Present the essay to the Summit to leaders, and technical experts

2nd and 3rd prize:

§ AUC issued Certificate
§ Publication on the AUC website.

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5. The outcome of the Essay Competition
The winning essay will be presented at the AU Summit on Industrialization and
Economic Diversification in Niger. The essay will be used as a guideline, a voice of
young people and their views on the promotion of SMEs and Innovation on the
continent especially leveraging from the AfCFTA.

The essay should be centred around the Summit theme, elaborate the challenges and
actions within the region and solutions to those challenges. It should also include one
of the AU Agenda 2063 aspirations:
§ Aspiration 1: A prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable
development
§ Aspiration 2: An integrated continent, politically united and based on the ideals
of Pan-Africanism and the vision of Africa’s Renaissance
§ Aspiration 6: An Africa, whose development is people-driven, relying on the
potential of African people, especially its women and youth, and caring for children.

6. Activities and Tasks

§ A selection panel will read and judge the best essay submitted
§ The winner will present his/her essay at the AU Summit on Industrialization and
Economic Diversification in Niger.
§ Novelty: Essays must be original and unpublished. Plagiarized entries will be
rejected.
§ Copyright of the contested essays: will be assigned to the organizer.
7. Format specifications:
§ Arial size 12
§ 1.5 spacing
§ 2000 - 3000 words maximum
§ PDF or MS Word version

8. Eligibility
§ The competition is open to young people 15 – 35 from All African Union Member
States.
§ Only one entry per person.
§ The essay can be submitted in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English,
French, Portuguese, and Spanish)
9. Timelines
§ Call for essay submissions: 31st August 2022.
§ Application deadline: 30th September 2022
§ Selection of the winner: October 2022
§ Announcement of the winner: October 2022.

For more information, please contact:

Mrs. Ron Osman Omar | Senior Policy Officer Industry | African Union Commission
(AUC) Department of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism. Industry and Minerals
| E-mail: OmarR@africa-union.org

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Ms. Bulelwa Nkosi | Private Sector and Enterprise Development Associate | African
Union Commission (AUC) Department of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism.
Industry and Minerals | E-mail: NkosiB@africa-union.org