Kenya Airways chief pushes Africa collaboration message

Africa must become a 24-hour economy if it is to compete on the global stage. That’s the view of Kenya Airways chief operating officer, Mbuvi Ngunze, who believes that a culture of collaboration rather than fragmentation is critical for the future of the continent. “Currently the 54 African countries are operating as separate entities which is a challenge for global companies wanting to do business on the continent. We are moving towards a more unified business platform, but it is a long-term reality,” he says. Ngunze believes this is being facilitated by the creation of strong economic blocs on the continent – as has been achieved with the South African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) as well as the Economic Communities of West Africa (Ecowas). “If these economic blocs collaborate to stimulate trade between their borders, their economies will grow and the cross-region trade initiatives will follow,” he says. According to Ngunze, a good example of stimulating trade is to dispense with duties within the borders of a particular trading bloc. “The West African countries are already doing this, with some success,” he adds. Another way to increase trade within Africa is to create niche trading opportunities between countries. “Companies need to diversify and explore other avenues of trade to create tangible, value-added exports. Therefore, not just food in its raw state, but packed and processed food which increases in value,” he added. He also believes that African countries need to share knowledge, experience and skills. “We need to pool our resources, increase crossborder training, and then ensure we maintain and up those newly acquired skills.” He told FTW that of the total global trade figures, only 5% represented intratrade in Africa, with trade between East and South Africa amounting to only a quarter of that 5%. Most of the goods being traded between the two regions are perishables as well as cars and pharmaceuticals. CAPTION Mbuvi Ngunze … ‘Intra-trade in Africa is key to upping our global competitiveness.’