Light manufacturing in Africa

On 5th June 2017, the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), in partnership with the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the Government of Ethiopia, convened the first meeting on Light Manufacturing in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as part of the Pan African Coalition for Transformation (PACT). The chapter is one of eight launched at the first African Transformation Forum (ATF) in Kigali, Rwanda in March 2016.

Africa’s experience with manufacturing has been mixed. Despite bursts of growth in the 1960s and mid- 1980s, Africa currently has less formal manufacturing than any region of the world. However, opportunities still exist for Africa to grow its manufacturing industry. For Africa to break into the market in low-end, labour intensive manufacturing, there are several interdependent challenges to overcome. The meeting brought together over 40 industry experts and senior officials from key government ministries, departments and agencies from selected African countries, development partners, civil society organisations, academia and the media to discuss these challenges.

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