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Africa’s largest-ever initial public offering is about to test more than the depth of Nigeria’s capital market. It could provide an important indication of whether African institutional and retail capital is prepared to finance the continent’s next generation of industrial assets. From September 14, Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals will offer 4.1 billion shares at ₦525 per share, seeking to raise approximately ₦2.15 trillion, or about US$1.63 billion. The transac

Africa has never suffered from a shortage of promising economic narratives. For decades, investors have been told to look to its young population, urbanisation, natural resources, infrastructure deficit and expanding consumer markets. More recently, the African Continental Free Trade Area has added another layer to the story: the possibility that one of the world's most fragmented economic regions could gradually become a more integrated market. There is truth in all of these

For decades, Africa’s development trajectory has been constrained by a familiar paradox. While the continent possesses abundant natural resources, a youthful population and expanding markets, its economic transformation has remained heavily dependent on external finance. Infrastructure development, industrialisation and regional integration have largely relied on concessional funding, development finance institutions and foreign direct investment. Yet a quiet but profound shi

Africa’s trade and industrial landscape is entering a structurally different phase where manufacturing strategy, regional integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area, and development finance architecture are beginning to converge in a more coordinated way. What is emerging is not simply a set of sectoral investments, but a continental shift in how trade is financed, how industrial capacity is allocated, and how regional value chains are being constructed across

South Africa’s manufacturing sector has once again moved into negative territory, with production contracting by 2.9% year-on-year in April 2026, according to the latest figures released by Statistics South Africa. The decline signals renewed weakness in one of the country’s most important productive sectors and highlights the continued fragility of its industrial recovery. The downturn was driven by broad-based declines across key manufacturing divisions, particularly in hea

The recently concluded African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meetings were, on the surface, a familiar exercise in consensus: mobilise more capital, strengthen institutions, deepen integration, and accelerate infrastructure delivery. According to the AfDB, Africa continues to face an annual development financing gap exceeding US$1 trillion, particularly in infrastructure, climate adaptation, and industrial development. This figure understandably anchors much of the policy ur

For decades, Africa has faced a contradiction that continues to define many of its economies. Despite being rich in oil, gas and other natural resources, the continent still imports large volumes of refined petroleum products and manufactured goods from outside its borders. Many African economies continue to export raw materials while importing finished products at significantly higher costs. This model has weakened industrial development, limited job creation and exposed Afr

The ongoing geopolitical tensions and conflict in the Middle East are once again exposing the vulnerabilities of global energy markets and international supply chains. Rising oil prices, disruptions in shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, and increasing fuel transportation costs have placed enormous pressure on countries that remain heavily dependent on imported refined petroleum products. Across Africa, these developments are renewing conversations around energy sec

Africa’s manufacturing sector is entering a period of renewed momentum as investments, policy reforms, and shifts in global supply chains begin to reshape the continent’s industrial landscape. Across sectors such as electric vehicle battery materials, construction inputs, and automotive manufacturing, recent developments demonstrate growing efforts to deepen industrial capacity and capture greater value from Africa’s resources. At the same time, structural challenges continue

Africa’s transition to electric mobility is no longer a distant climate ambition; it is rapidly becoming an industrial, trade and investment question. As global automotive value chains reorganise around electric vehicles (EVs), African economies face a strategic choice: remain consumption markets for imported green technologies or position themselves as production and component manufacturing hubs within emerging low-carbon industrial systems. Globally, the electric mobility t

Every time tensions rise in the Gulf, African economies feel it, often before we fully process what happened. Oil prices react within hours. Freight insurance premiums increase. Shipping costs climb. Investors move capital toward the U.S. dollar. And across African markets, currencies weaken, fuel prices rise, and inflationary pressure builds. This pattern has repeated itself for decades. Yet we still treat it as an external shock, something beyond our control. It is not enti

More than fifty years after it was first envisioned by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in 1971, the Trans-African Highway (TAH) network is again at the centre of continental economic debate. Originally conceptualised as a nine-corridor, pan-continental road system linking North, West, East, Central and Southern Africa, the network spans approximately 56,000 kilometres across over 40 countries. Supported by UNECA, the African Development Bank (AfDB) a

South Africa’s automotive industry has long stood as the country’s most globally integrated manufacturing sector and one of the most sophisticated industrial ecosystems in the Global South. For decades it has anchored export performance, industrial employment and manufacturing value addition. Yet the sector is now entering a decisive period. Intensifying global competition, technological disruption and deep domestic structural constraints are converging at a moment when the A

Africa’s industrialisation journey is entering a decisive phase. For decades, discussions about manufacturing on the continent centred on potential rather than performance. Today, however, new data reveals a more competitive and dynamic landscape in which several African economies are emerging as serious industrial players. According to the World Bank’s latest available data on manufacturing value added for 2023, recently visualised by Intelpoint.co , Africa’s manufacturing o

By 2026, intra-African trade has moved decisively beyond aspiration. Trade volumes are rising, political commitment to continental integration has deepened, and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area has become a central feature of economic policy across the continent. This shift is reflected not only in political statements, but in sustained analysis by institutions such as the African Development Bank, UNECA, and Afreximbank, all of which report measurabl

Africa’s manufacturing landscape is increasingly defined by divergence. While some countries are losing industrial capacity, others are attracting new factories, technology, and long-term investment. Nowhere is this contrast clearer than between South Africa, once the continent’s industrial anchor, and Morocco, which is rapidly positioning itself as a competitive manufacturing and export platform. Recent developments in both countries reveal two very different trajectories, o

Africa’s industrial story in early 2026 paints a striking contrast: one nation accelerating toward global competitiveness, another struggling to keep its core manufacturing base alive. Nowhere is this more vivid than in the automotive sector, long seen as a litmus test of industrial strength. Morocco’s rise as Africa’s automotive powerhouse, and South Africa’s deepening manufacturing contraction, reveals a tale of strategic policy, global integration, and warning signals for

Africa’s manufacturing challenge is often framed in terms of industrial policy, access to finance, and infrastructure gaps. While these factors matter, a less visible but equally decisive constraint continues to undermine competitiveness across the continent: logistics inefficiency and border friction. For manufacturers, logistics are not a peripheral concern. They shape costs, cash flows, and ultimately the viability of industrial investment. In practice, the difference be

Africa imports millions of vehicles every year. From compact cars and buses to trucks and specialised industrial vehicles, the continent is a significant consumer of automotive products. Yet when one looks across Africa’s manufacturing landscape, a simple but uncomfortable question emerges: where are Africa’s cars? This question is not merely about the physical act of assembling vehicles. It is a question about ownership, value chains, industrial capability, and economic am

Africa’s industrialisation debate is no longer about whether manufacturing matters, but about how the continent can finance, scale, and sustain it in a rapidly changing global economy. As global supply chains fragment, geopolitical risks rise, and the green transition accelerates, Africa is facing an industrial inflection point that is both urgent and investable. What makes this moment different is that manufacturing is no longer only a national ambition , it is increasingly