Addressing the inaugural session, Shri Ajay Shankar, Secretary(DIPP), said the Conference was a timely initiative which would help in carrying the south-south development process forward. Mr. J. Vinanchiarachi, Principal Adviser to the Director-General/UNIDO, described the late Professor Sanjaya Lall as a development-minded practical thinker, whose concepts on R & D and innovation-induced products as the drivers of global trade helped UNIDO in framing its industrial performance and capabilities index.
Mr. Anthony de Sa, Director, UCSSIC, mentioned that the Centre would develop projects on leather, cotton, auto components, hand tools, low-cost building materials, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals and IT applications in industry. Mr. Philippe Scholtes, Representative and Regional Director of UNIDO/South Asia, underlined the importance of the Conference as the first event of its kind in the field of south-south cooperation.
While there had been similar initiatives in the past, the UNIDO initiative was important as it would focus on various sectors, in line with UNIDO's 8 service modules (viz., industrial governance; investment and technology promotion; industrial competitiveness and trade; private sector development; agro-industry; sustainable energy and climate change; implementation of environmental agreements; and environmental management of industries) and its large network of field offices and experts. The event was not an end in itself, but the beginning of a long-term-partnership between India and Africa, he said.
Press Information Bureau Government of India
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