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Africa must learn to develop human resources to remain globally relevant

Thursday August 03 2017
kituyi

UNCTAD secretary general Dr Mukhisa Kituyi. He was re-elected to the position in July this year, after completing his first term as Unctad’s seventh secretary-general. PHOTO FILE| NMG

By VICTOR KIPROP

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Secretary-General Dr Mukhisa Kituyi spoke to The EastAfrican's Victor Kiprop.

Now that you have secured a second term at Unctad, how would you describe the past four years?

I came in when the organisation was partly paralysed by friction between different member states. But, I opened my door to all member states and in that time, I think I have won the trust of all the regional groups of the UN family.

The resultant goodwill has secured us new and substantial financial support from member states. We were also able to pull off the Unctad 14 conference in Nairobi in a very short time.

I want to dedicate my next four years primarily to assist young entrepreneurs in Africa.

We will partner with employers, governments and the private sector to create an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs to realise their talents by providing training and identifying markets for their produce.

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Two years after the launch of the Trade and Regional Integration Project, intra-Africa trade is still below 15 per cent. What are we not doing right?

You realise the launch was not accompanied by the actual opening of borders. Unlike in Comesa where there has been two decades of concerted work, some areas like the Ecowas and Central Africa have not witnessed similar development of technical expertise to negotiate effectively.

What about the Economic Partnership Agreement which Kenya and Rwanda have signed, Tanzania opposes and Burundi wants sanctions lifted? Is it dead in the water?

East Africa’s relevance is defined by its unity. Certain resources for East Africa’s development are aligned to the EPA’s success and any division weakens East Africans’ ability to make decisions during this transitional period regarding their future.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently said the EU-Africa deal has been largely skewed in favour of the EU. How can African states change the narrative?

It has always been a skewed arrangement, but you realise it is about Africa looking for markets in Europe and not vice versa. What we are looking for is to identify a less painful process through which Africa can access the EU market.

Regional integration in East Africa is still in low gear. What is stalling the progress and what is Unctad doing to nudge it along?

The biggest challenge has been lack of sustained political engagement at the presidential level. Repairing the bruised engagements at this level and sorting out any frictions will be an important contribution by the heads of state to the momentum that was initiated in the 1990s.

We have been working to simplify trade procedures across borders. For instance, our Automated System for Customs Data platform has reduced loopholes for corruption and has cut down the time it takes to process goods through border points.

The trade in secondhand clothes thrives in the region to the disadvantage of the textile industry and yet, raising tariffs on secondhand clothes jeopardises our stake in Agoa. Which way should we go?

East African presidents were right to start slowing down the import of secondhand clothes. I participated in the negotiation to extend Agoa three times. It has no provision to ensure that East Africa benefits from importing secondhand clothes from the US.

Kenya should not chart a different path from the rest of Africa. East Africa must approach the issue of secondhand clothes as a team. Kenya should match Uganda and Tanzania’s increased duty on secondhand clothes to send a strong and common message on the stand of the EAC.

There is the popular refrain about Africa being the richest continent in terms raw resources but still remains still the poorest. What should be done to address this?

Riches are not just about what lies under the ground, rather, they are about the development of human resources. A new line of thought should be about sustainable exploitation of these resources, investment in developing the human resource base and creation of opportunities to realise the latent potential of Africans.

Bio

Age: 61
Background:Dr Kituyi was an elected official, academic, and holder of various senior government offices before joining Unctad in 2013.

Education:PhD in Social Anthropology and a Masters in Philosophy Development Studies from the University of Bergen, Norway, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government from Makerere University.

Experience:Dr Kituyi is the Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) based in Geneva, Switzerland. He was re-elected to the position in July this year, after completing his first term as Unctad’s seventh secretary-general.

He is responsible for supporting developing countries to gain access to the benefits of a globalised economy, by providing technical assistance to help them deal with the realities of greater economic integration.

2008-12: Chief executive of the Kenya Institute of Governance and Fellow of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., on their African Growth Initiative.

2002-07: Kenya’s Minister for Trade and Industry. During his tenure, he chaired the Council of Ministers of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the African Trade Ministers Council for two years.

1992-2008:Member of Parliament, Kimilili constituency, Bungoma County, for 15 years.

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