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Article · Essay6 min read
AFRICAN INDUSTRIALISM MUST BE ENCOURAGED FOR A MORE WEALTHY & PRODUCTIVE AFRICA.
INTRODUCTION
Basically, the Oxford Learners Dictionary defines Industrialization as the development of industries in a country or region on a wide scale.
(In my opinion it is when a Nation or group of Nations collaborate with corporations both National and International and Wealthy Individuals in order to generate massive industries within those areas. Regional Wealth as the case may be. It is also essential in the provision of employment and empowerment of the average youth. We can all agree this is more helpful than allowing young people to venture into crimes and vices.)
Further on the brighter side, everyone benefits from this system, the government get taxes, the Industrialists and companies get profits and leverage, the workers get jobs, wages and salaries including bonuses as the contract of employment may suggest.
INDUSTRIALISATION; A MOVEMENT THAT BROUGHT A NEW PARADIGM TO THE WORLD.
One of the most influential and remarkable eras of human development and history. The Industrial Revolution, sometimes known as the First Industrial Revolution, the movement started in Britain and took place between 1750–1900 and it brought a very large amount of technological advances to the empire and to the entire world eventually.
Some of the proponents were James Watt; who brought and developed the efficiency of the James Watt steam engine alongside his partner Matthew Boulton, his business partner and sponsor. Then we also have Richard Arkwright who invented the water frame for spinning yarn, as well as pioneering the modern factory system, we also have George Stephenson, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Henry Bessemer and so on.
The Industrial revolution started the dawn of the British Golden Age and gave them reasons to colonise and take control of Third-World countries in search for natural resources and end consumer-consequences for subjects.
The movement soon spread to Africa, Oceania and The Americas, thus pushing the world to where it is.
INDUSTRIALIZATION IN NIGERIA / AFRICA.
Most African states began to become independent in the mid-20th century; Nigeria in 1960, Ghana in 1957, Egypt in 1947, Benin & Cameroon in 1960 and other prominent states as well.
Then our economies had one thing in common–they were all agro-based. In Western Nigeria we had the Cocoa Pyramids and the Cocoa house, in Sudan we had the Gezira Scheme, in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire we also had a Cocoa boom, then in Uganda we had the coffee and cotton boom and many others.
But soon everything changed, Capitalist arise challenging the socialist paradigm of wealth distribution. The Military arose and took power, most African youths abandoned the farm and started chasing "Oil Money".
In West Africa, early industrialists like Sir Louis Ojukwu, the owner of Ojukwu Transport, Stores and Textiles became an indigenous billionaire, we also had Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola, wealthy and successful rubber producer and manufacturer, then we had the Dantatas, the Rabius, the Ibru's and the Dangotes.
In South and East Africa as popular industrialists, these individuals generated massive money, put Africa on the map and provided employment for the youth. Most of them were not philanthropists of the nice type, a lot were capitalists. They were not nice strictly, but their deeds helped to secure political gains and other favours from the masses.
MODERN INDUSTRIALISM IN AFRICA
Nowadays, we have the Dangote's with the eleganza plastic brand, the Dangote's with their agenda to conquer the world of African manufacturing, Adenuga in Telecoms with the Glo NG network, Rabiu with BUA, and other investments among others.
They make wealth look simple but the truth is that a lot of them came from money. The Otedola's, the Dangote's, the Rabiu's and the BUA of nowadays are helping and pushing the firm because technology we use by helping others.
HOW IT CAN BE ENCOURAGED, WHERE SHIFTS & FACTORS & AGENTS COME IN.
New Industrialism is more of a process than a one time thing. It takes money, innovative minds, sound and hardworking hands and hands, a good fit and support system for the radio to move. Below is how various agents and societal factors come in:
The Government,can come in by providing landed properties at an affordable rate and at fair and discounted lease prices to serious and focused industrialists. Then to prepare a good and comfortable soft-landing for the products of these entrepreneurs, they can give them tax holidays and vacations or get them to pay a limited amount of tax whilst increasing the tax rate or tariffs on imported or foreign goods, because the African audience are used to getting quality goods and services at an affordable, in short quality, for less.
Then Individuals, especially the youth, Should make themselves available for employment opportunities. As Kilobizzy once said, "Let's get to business". The more people employed and dedicated, the faster the industries would grow–thank God we are in the tech-based 21st century. You need only a few skills besides labouring like Social Media Management, Content Writing, Content Creation, Accounting, HR, Legal Correspondence, Transport Management, and many more.
Then the regional associations, can also come in by assisting upcoming firms in getting Trademark and Business License protection and also allowing and promoting trade inter-regionally and across borders without compromising national security.
Then the Mass Media, instead of propagating unnecessary feuds and drama can actually make themselves useful by interviewing and explaining the business process of probably visiting the factories in a bid to understand the creative process.
The flawed, theoretical academic institutions: could also organize excursions in schools to encourage students and enlighten them technically on how to get and the need to get real skills.
Industrialism is a crucial weapon Africa needs to take back our power and place in the world. This is due to the fact that we provide most of the raw material used in producing modern finished goods which the colonial masters use to enslave us by reselling them to us and putting us in economic bondage. Basically, that's why once the Western world get wind of this successful movement they would try to nip it in the bud, but it must work
