Opinion: Industrialization is crucial for South Sudan’s national development

July 11, 2020 Opinions

By Beek Mabior

Beek Mabior (Photo courtesy of the author)

July 11, 2020 (SSNN) – Industrialization is a backbone for the national economy just like agriculture and I’d like to appeal to our government and citizenry to embrace this magnificent analysis and recommendation on how to make South Sudan an industrialize and technological state in Africa.

We all know that industrialization, technology, and scientific discoveries are the massive pillars of rapid development in the current modern era globally in this twenty-first century. We all know that developed nations we admire today on earth were built due to the advancement and success in the fields of industrialization, technology, and scientific achievements in those developed countries.

Firstly, what is industrialization? It is a period of social and economic change that transformed a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive reorganization of an economy for the purpose of manufacturing. As industrial workers’ incomes rise, markets for consumer goods and services of all kinds tend to expand and provide a further stimulus to industrial investment and economic growth.

After the last stage of the proto-industrialization, the first transformation from an agricultural to an industrial economy is known as the industrial revolution and took place from the mid-18th to early 19th century in certain areas in Europe and North America; starting in Great Britain, followed by Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and France.

Characteristics of this early industrialization were technological progress, a shift from rural work to industrial labor, financial investments in new industrial structure and early developments in class consciousness and theories related to this. Later commentators have called this the first industrial revolution. Furthermore, the “Second industrial revolution” labels the later changes that came about in the mid-19th century after the refinement of the steam engine, the invention of the internal combustion engine, the harnessing of electricity and the construction of canals, railways and electric-power lines.

The invention of the assembly line gave this phase a boost. Coal mines, steelworks and textile factories replaced homes as the place of work. Moreover, by the end of the 20th century, East Asia had become one of the most recently industrialized regions of the Globe. The BRICS states; Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are undergoing the process of industrialization.

Additionally, as you can see from the above explanation how the industrialization in those developed and developing countries has changed them so much and developed their countries. We can now see and appreciate why it is paramount for our beautiful South Sudan to embark on the industrialization in order for us to build a better, develop and prosperous country.

We need South Sudan to take advantage of her massive billions natural resources that can provide sufficient and reliable raw materials for our various industries that’ll be builds in the coming near future in our nation. We need to stop depending too much on foreign manufactured goods that we normally imported every now and then.

We cannot spend the rest of our lives importing everything from toothpicks, tissue paper, Colgate and many other different products that we always need and can manufacture internally. Our country is blessed massively with many minerals and we can turn those blessings into our future benefits. We need to plan to builds various industries that’ll aid South Sudan’s industrialization dreams for a sustainable development in the coming years. We need to make South Sudan become the scientific and technological hub of Africa. Our country has a huge advantages and blessings over many other sisterly African countries.

And the only nation among our bordering nations which can equalize South Sudan in term of natural resources in Africa is the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is our only peer in the natural resources in the entire Africa and that is undisputed. Moreover, there has been a lot of prophecies and pessimism surrounding natural resources. We’ve heard from various pessimists and prophets of doom for many years that natural resources are a curse for those nations that possessed them.

It is misinformation that is baseless and misguided. Because, look at Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabic and Russia with billions of crude oil in their nations. Are their natural resources a curse? Those countries are doing pretty well socially, economically, militarily and politically.

What make natural resources seem like a curse is when greed, corruption, tribalism, nepotism, inequality and discrimination penetrate into natural resources and dictate the terms of their utilization wrongly to the country. When that happens; then it’ll definitely fuel senseless civil wars. And if South Sudan and DRC decided to end pointless politically civil wars decisively.

Then they’ll become the African most industrialize states in few years to come in all fields of national development in their respective nations. They’ve huge advantages and resources that no other countries possess in the African continent. But unfortunately, those blessings and natural resources have been wasted by evil civil wars.

Moreover, industrialization generates employment opportunities, provides educational opportunities, encourages advancement and innovation and better utilizes resources. All of these benefits and more make industrial development extremely valuable to a population and the local economy.

Additionally, the economic growth provided by industrial development is a well-sustained growth that can transform an economy. Industrial growth and economic growth goes hand in hand. Economies thrive when industries are growing because a growth in the industries means more jobs, more money and more opportunities.

Industrial growth is often linked with higher wages, the production that industries provides create more money and more services for the economy leading to higher income per capita and more labor productivity. The standard of living increases when industries increases. These opportunities can transform a nation and inspire endless amounts of growth.

Finally, industrial growth has had a large impact on the economy. For instance, the time period known as the industrial revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries led to some of the most significant economic development known to man.

The industrial revolution was a transition to new and more efficient manufacturing processes-leading to the cotton gin, the steam engine, electricity, the assembly line and other crucial inventions that largely impacted the world. These advancements propelled the world forward as industrialization grew and resources advanced.

So, South Sudan should pay more attention to industrialization, scientific discoveries and technology compare to the way she does in the pursuit of reckless and wicked civil wars and together we can build and achieve an industrial development in South Sudan. We need to channel our energies and faculties to national development instead of hostilities and animosities in South Sudan.

The author is a concerned citizen of South Sudan and can be reached via: betterarticle165@gmail.com

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