The African Development Bank says Morocco has overtaken South Africa as Africa’s leading industrial economy.

The AfDB announced this while inaugurating the 2025 Africa Industrialisation Index in Brazzaville. This was on the sidelines of its annual meetings alongside the inauguration of the Africa Industrial Investment Barometer report.

According to the report, Morocco achieved the feat through sustained industrial upgrading, export diversification and strong industrial policies. 

The report, however, stated that South Africa remained a major industrial powerhouse despite declining competitiveness.

It said North and Southern Africa continued to dominate industrial output and export sophistication across the continent. The report added that East, West and Central Africa still lagged in industrial development and regional production linkages.

It stated that intra-African trade remained low at 14.4 per cent of total trade, reflecting fragmented industrial ecosystems.

The report assessed industrial development across 54 African countries between 2010 and 2024.

It found that 41 countries improved their industrialisation scores, while overall continental performance rose by six per cent.

The AfDB’s director for industrial and trade development, Ousmane Fall, said the report served as both a diagnosis and a roadmap.

According to Mr Fall, industrialisation at scale requires resilient infrastructure, value addition and finance mobilised on African terms.

He said the report also called for stronger regional integration anchored by the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Mr Fall restated the need for reliable energy, industrial infrastructure, technical skills and harmonised standards to support Africa’s industrial transformation. 

(NAN)