Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Africa Trade Chamber, Sir Sam Jonah, has challenged African nations to make the strategic shift from exporting raw commodities to manufacturing finished products.
Speaking at the Africa Trade Summit in Accra on Tuesday, he argued that the fundamental question the continent must answer is: “When are we going to move from merely exporting what the world wants to producing what the world needs?”
Sir Sam Jonah stressed that by shipping raw materials like cocoa, gold, and oil, Africa effectively exports jobs and imports unemployment. He insisted that true economic transformation will not be achieved through government conferences but through the private sector businesses, factories, and entrepreneurs operating consistently and taking long-term bets. He affirmed that industrialization is still possible, but only if countries are willing to take hard decisions.
He cited the success of Singapore, South Korea, and China as proof that resource-poor nations can build global industrial hubs through discipline, long-term policy continuity, and aggressive investment in manufacturing and R&D.
He noted that unlike Korea, which planned and persisted through crises, Africa often fails to commit to manufacturing when the “easy money is in exporting raw materials.”
The Chairman emphasized that no African country can industrialize alone. The success of the AfCFTA depends on creating integrated continental supply chains that run across borders, connecting local successes into a larger ecosystem.
In a direct critique, Jonah stated that Africa’s primary deficit is not a “shortage of plans” but a “shortage of courage”, the courage to fight corruption, enforce long-term policies, and prioritize manufacturing even when politically difficult.
He called for international partners to offer genuine collaboration and technology transfer, not charity. He concluded by challenging leaders to choose the path of building industries and strengthening partnerships, stating, “The world will not wait for us, and we must not continue waiting for the world.”
Story By: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
