Africa Industrialization Day 2024

Africa Industrialization Day is celebrated on November 20 each year. It is a time when governments and other organizations in many African countries examine ways to stimulate Africa's industrialization process. It is also an occasion to draw worldwide media attention to the problems and challenges of industrialization in Africa.

What Do People Do?

Various events are held to mark Africa Industrialization Day. Many of these involve local and national leaders and representatives of national and international non-governmental organizations. A special effort is made to unite leaders or representatives of as many African countries as possible to stimulate discussion on the industrialization of Africa and assess the progress made in the past year. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) plays an important role in coordinating events on or around Africa Industrialization Day.

In addition, statements are delivered at UNIDO's headquarters in Vienna, Austria. These statements are from leaders from the African Union, the Economic Commission for Africa, and the UN. It is hoped that these parties will raise global consciousness of the importance of industrialization in Africa and remind the international community that more than 30 of the world's 50 least developed countries are located in Africa

Public Life

Africa Industrialization Day is a global observance and not a public holiday.

Background

The 25th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in July 1989. During this session, November 20 was declared to be Africa Industrialization Day. On December 22, 1989, the UN General Assembly also proclaimed this date to be Africa Industrialization Day. It was first observed on November 20, 1990.

Each year events around Africa Industrialization Day concentrate on a particular theme. In the past the themes have been: "New information and communication technologies" (2002); "Acceleration of Africa’s integration in the global economy through effective industrialization and market access" (2003); "Strengthening productive capacity for poverty reduction within the framework of NEPAD" (2004); "Generating African competitiveness for sustainable market access" (2005); "Reducing poverty through sustainable industrial development" (2006); "Technology and innovation for industry: investing in people is investing in the future" (2007); and "Business through technology" (2008).

Symbols

A common symbol of Africa Industrialization Day is a geographical representation of the continent, including the island of Madagascar. Flags of international organizations in Africa, such as the African Union, or a selection of national flags may also be displayed.

While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. If you find an error, please let us know.