Brazzaville, May 26, 2026
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced that Morocco has emerged as Africa’s most advanced industrial economy, surpassing South Africa in the latest assessment.
The declaration was made during the launch of the 2025 Africa Industrialisation Index (AII) in Brazzaville, on the sidelines of the Bank’s Annual Meetings, alongside the presentation of the Africa Industrial Investment Barometer report.
The report attributed Morocco’s rise to sustained industrial upgrading, diversification of exports and consistent implementation of strong industrial policy frameworks.
It noted that South Africa continues to remain a key industrial hub on the continent, despite a gradual decline in its competitiveness ranking.
According to the findings, North Africa and Southern Africa still dominate in terms of industrial output and export sophistication across the continent.
However, East, West and Central African regions were said to lag behind in industrial growth and in the development of strong regional production networks.
The report also highlighted that intra-African trade remains relatively low, accounting for about 14.4 per cent of total trade, reflecting weak integration among industrial systems.
Covering data from 54 African countries between 2010 and 2024, the study showed that 41 nations recorded improvements in their industrialisation performance, with an overall continental increase of about six per cent.
AfDB Director for Industrial and Trade Development, Ousmane Fall, described the report as both an evaluation tool and a guide for future industrial planning.
He said large-scale industrial growth across Africa would require stronger infrastructure, increased value addition and improved access to financing tailored to the continent’s needs.
Fall further emphasised the importance of deeper regional integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework.
He also stressed the need for reliable power supply, modern industrial facilities, skilled manpower and harmonised regulatory standards to accelerate Africa’s industrial transformation.
The report concluded that coordinated reforms and investment in productive sectors remain critical for sustaining long-term industrial growth across the continent.