calendar>>February 24. 2012 Juch 101
Africa Makes Sustained Development in Economy Despite Difficult Situation
Pyongyang, February 24 (KCNA) -- Africa's economic growth remained robust despite the difficult international situation.

Chairman of the African Union Commission (AUC) Jean Ping, addressing the 18th Summit of AU head of states and governments, said several countries registered average economic growth in 2011 exceeding five and six percents even reaching double digit growth.

In 2010 the African economy recorded an increase of 4.7 percent.

Especially, Nigeria, Angola and Uganda registered 8-9 percent growth in their economic development.

Experts say the success is ascribable to the fact that the African nations cooperated with each other and tapped all their local economic potentials, free from their old method of economic management that depends on others.

President of Angola Jose Eduardo Dos Santos underscored the need to build a new economic order in Africa to remove the trade barrier among nations and develop the infrastructure.

South African President Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma said African nations could no longer live on the relief fund, underlining the need to eradicate poverty by their own efforts, that is, by working hard.

Countries of the continent have come up with practical measures for laying a self-reliant economic foundation for sustained growth.

To this end, they channeled primary efforts into settling the power and water shortage and developing the infrastructure including roads, bridges and railways.

East African nations set a goal of increasing the present electric-power production as much as ten times to meet the growing demand for power and planned to complete the power grid for East Africa till 2014.

Nigeria built a hydroelectric power station capable of generating 30 000kw in Kaduna State and Algeria laid a 750km-long pipeline for drinking water in a desert area.

Tanzania is set to embark on building several roads according to the government's plan for building infrastructure.

The African nations are also paying due attention to diversifying their economy so as to increase the productivity and ensure the high quality of products.

The Ghanaian government made public a state plan for developing exports aimed at increasing industrial products, handicrafts, etc., while overcoming tendency of putting emphasis on the export of agricultural products.

The government of Zimbabwe added to its Mineral Law an item on processing minerals in the homeland and exporting them and developing the ore-dressing industry, discarding the old method of exporting minerals.

Kenya and many other African nations have set up special economic zones with an eye to stepping up the industrialization.

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