South Centre Research Paper 20 - May 2009

The importance of industrialisation as an engine of economic growth and development cannot be overstated. Industrial production creates job opportunities at higher skill levels, facilitates denser links across the services and agricultural sectors, between rural and urban economies and between consumer, intermediate and capital goods industries. Given the importance of industrialisation and the pressure weighing on industrial policies, it is thus useful to survey the extent to which industrialisation is a policy priority and is being pursued.

Even when it is a stated priority, does industrial promotion actually translate into specific policy tools? What instruments do African governments associate with industrial promotion? What are the present thematic and sectoral focuses of African industrial policies? This research paper endeavours to answer these questions, focusing on eight African countries: Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.

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