The 4th General Assembly and International Conference of the Pan-African Welding Federation (TWF), taking place from June 22 to 24 in Maputo under the theme “Exploring Sustainable Manufacturing in Africa,” continued this Tuesday (23) with debates on the challenges and opportunities of industrialization on the continent, with experts from South Africa and Botswana calling for greater investment in innovation, local transformation of mineral resources, and skills development.
South African additive manufacturing specialist Devon Hagedorn-Hansen said Africa must move away from a raw-material export model and invest in value addition.
“We sell our resources for $100 and buy them back transformed for $1,700. We must reclaim that value chain,” he argued.
According to him, the continent should invest in technologies such as additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and 3D printing, as well as emerging sectors like green hydrogen, aerospace, and medical devices. He also stressed that the lack of reliable energy, digital infrastructure, and skilled labor continues to limit the competitiveness of African industry.
“Education is one of the biggest levers for adopting these technologies. We can either wait for change to happen or stand up and make it happen,” said Devon Hagedorn-Hansen.
Meanwhile, Botswana-based researcher Keagisitswe Sestwalo presented an industrialization model centered on integrating research, industry, and technical training, aimed at developing an African value chain for electric vehicles.
“Innovation is not only about what we produce, but how we produce it,” he said, advocating for the use of AI and machine learning to optimize processes, reduce waste, and increase production efficiency.
“According to the researcher, Africa has the strategic minerals needed to compete in the electric vehicle industry, but must invest in local processing and strengthen collaboration between universities and companies.
“We have the resources in Africa. Now we need to figure out how to process them to enter the EV market and maximize the value we produce,” he stated.
Both presentations converged on the need for an industrialization strategy based on technological innovation, human capital development, and the sustainable use of natural resources, as a way to reduce external dependence and strengthen the competitiveness of African manufacturing.
The first session of the conference’s second day included panels dedicated to Hydrogen-Induced Cracking in Steel Pipelines and Materials, Processes, and Joining Technologies.
Text: Alfredo Ubisse
