August 24, 2026

‘Saving’ Africa

Africa today produces less than 2 percent of global manufacturing output and just 1.4 percent of global manufacturing exports. Manufacturing value added on the continent reached about $351 billion in 2025, which sounds substantial until you remember the size of the continent, its population and its ambitions. Manufacturing contributes about 10.8 percent of African GDP compared with 16.5 percent globally. Those numbers bother me.