ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Experts and policymakers attending a high-level meeting have underscored the importance of inclusive and sustainable industrialization as a driver of resilience and stability in the Sahel countries in West Africa.

The high-level meeting was held on the sidelines of the ongoing African Union (AU) Summit on Industrialization and Economic Diversification being held on November 20-25 in Niamey, capital of Niger, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) said in a statement issued Thursday.

Niger's Minister of Industry and Youth Entrepreneurship Salamatou Gourouza emphasized the need to create inclusive industrialization by embracing the youth and women. "We tend to forget the youth and women. We cannot achieve industrialization or economic diversification if we do not include them in the industrialization value chains."

Antonio Pedro, acting executive secretary of the UNECA, said that eight of the 15 countries making up the West African sub-region are in the Sahel region. He said that given the challenges the Sahel is facing, it is extremely important to invest in industrialization in order to change the narrative in this part of the continent, which today is synonymous with conflicts and humanitarian needs.

"Structural transformations remain one of the major challenges of the countries of the Sahel with the industrialization as the main channel to achieve it," Pedro said. He also emphasized the crucial need to strengthen the industry sector as a driver of intra-Africa trade.

According to figures from the UNECA, at the level of intra-African sectoral trade, it is estimated that full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area will increase exports in agribusiness by 41 percent, industry and services by about 40 percent, and energy/mining by 16 percent by 2045.

In West Africa, including the Sahel region, exports are expected to increase by 24 percent in industry, 23 percent in agribusiness, and 11 percent in energy and mining, it said.

The meeting was jointly organized by the AU, the UNECA Subregional Office for West Africa, the Office of the Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel, and the UN Industrial Development Organization. Enditem

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