United States-based investor Dr. Farzam Kalambadi, President of Future Trends Investments Group (USA), has called on African nations to end the practice of exporting raw materials and instead build industries that add value locally — warning that the continent’s wealth will continue to enrich others if it fails to industrialise.
Speaking to journalists soon after landing at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport for the African Economic Summit 2025, Dr. Kalambadi said Africa’s failure to process its own resources was perpetuating underdevelopment and joblessness.
“African countries must be able to add value to their resources. About 75 percent of the resources used in developed countries come from Africa,” he said. “We are glad that African leaders are now enacting laws that protect their raw materials — this is a step in the right direction.”
The investor’s remarks come amid growing calls for the continent to leverage its natural wealth for sustainable growth, rather than remaining a supplier of unprocessed minerals and agricultural produce to global markets.
Also speaking at the airport, Dr. Alison Chiwara, Managing Director of the African Economic Forum, said this year’s inaugural summit — running under the theme “Unlocking Africa’s Geoeconomic Power: Trade, Technology & Transformation” — would serve as a launchpad for a new industrial vision.
“This summit will unlock various investment opportunities for Africa,” said Dr. Chiwara. “We want to move away from the issue of unemployment because every African can become an entrepreneur rather than waiting to be employed. There are many positive developments we will share at the summit.”
The African Economic Summit 2025, set for November 4–5 in Harare, will convene heads of state, investors, and innovators from across the continent to explore strategies for industrialisation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable economic transformation.
As the summit opens, Dr. Kalambadi’s challenge resonates like a wake-up call: Africa must either industrialise its wealth — or continue exporting poverty to the rest of the world.
