Africa’s Industrial Leaders and Rising Manufacturing Economies
Morocco, South Africa and Egypt remain Africa’s leading industrial economies; DRC, Djibouti and Gabon recorded the largest gains in competitiveness
Morocco, South Africa and Egypt remain Africa’s leading industrial economies; DRC, Djibouti and Gabon recorded the largest gains in competitiveness
Exports have grown steadily since 2015, but minerals, fuels and metals still dominate, while five countries account for half of the total
Machinery, electronics, fuels and industrial inputs dominate Africa’s imports, and China remains the continent’s largest supplier
The volatility and geographic concentration of investment flows raises questions about Africa’s ability to sustain momentum into 2026 and beyond.
Egypt anchors domestic manufacturing scale, Morocco leads industrial export integration and Tunisia is a high-intensity specialist.
Scale is in North and Southern Africa, but the continent’s economic dynamism emanates from the West and the East.
China is the global leader in high-tech exports, and Asian economies feature prominently among the top ten exporters.