CAN AFRICA CREATE ITS OWN SAMSUNG, TOYOTA, SIEMENS OR MICROSOFT?
Why has Africa struggled to produce globally dominant companies in electronics, automobiles, industrial engineering and software—and what would it take to build the next generation of African technology and manufacturing giants?
Why does Africa consume global technology but struggle to produce its owners?
Walk into a modern African office, factory, university, hospital or shopping centre and the picture is familiar.
The computers may be American. The phones may be South Korean or American. The industrial machinery may be German, Japanese or Chinese. The vehicles may be Japanese, European, American or Chinese. The software may come from Silicon Valley. The telecommunications equipment may come from China or Europe.
African consumers and businesses participate in the global technology economy every day. But relatively few African corporations design, manufacture and own the technologies that underpin it.
This raises a difficult question:
Why can Africa produce entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists, programmers and successful businesses, yet struggle to produce a Samsung, Toyota, Siemens or Microsoft?
It is not a question of whether Africans are capable of building such companies. African businesses have already demonstrated significant capabilities in telecommunications, aviation, financial technology, mining, manufacturing and software.
The deeper challenge is the absence of sufficiently large, connected industrial and technological ecosystems that allow companies to develop, finance, manufacture, innovate and compete at global scale.
Samsung did not become a global electronics giant simply by selling televisions. Toyota did not become a global automobile corporation simply by assembling cars. Siemens did not become an industrial technology leader simply by importing machinery. Microsoft did not become a software giant simply by selling computers.
Each built capabilities, intellectual property, distribution networks, supplier relationships, research programmes, management systems and international markets over decades.
Africa's challenge is to create the economic conditions in which its own companies can follow comparable paths—while developing business models suited to African markets and global opportunities.
What exactly makes a company a Samsung, Toyota, Siemens or Microsoft?
These four corporations represent four different forms of economic power. Understanding the differences matters because Africa should not assume that every successful company must follow the same path.
Samsung — Technology and electronics
Its strength comes from semiconductors, displays, consumer electronics, engineering, research and enormous manufacturing investment. It operates across several layers of the electronics value chain.
Toyota — Automotive engineering
Its competitive position rests on vehicle design, production systems, quality control, supplier networks, global distribution, manufacturing efficiency and long-term engineering development.
Siemens — Industrial engineering
Its business spans automation, electrification, industrial software, infrastructure technologies and engineering systems that other companies use to manufacture products.
Microsoft — Software and digital platforms
Its strength comes from software platforms, cloud computing, enterprise relationships, intellectual property, developer ecosystems and recurring revenue.
These companies are not simply large businesses. They occupy strategically important positions in their industries.
Their products are used by other companies, governments and consumers around the world. Their technologies influence standards, production systems and commercial relationships.
For Africa, the objective should be to build companies with comparable strategic importance in selected industries—not necessarily to reproduce these exact corporations.
An African company could become a global leader in agricultural technology, industrial batteries, payment infrastructure, pharmaceutical manufacturing, maritime intelligence, power-grid equipment or specialised machinery.
The opportunity is to build companies that own valuable capabilities, not just companies that sell products.
Africa's industrial base is still too small to support enough global technology giants
The scale of the challenge becomes clearer when looking at manufacturing.
According to the African Development Bank's Africa Industrialisation Index 2025, Africa's manufacturing value added increased from approximately $285 billion in 2020 to $351 billion in 2025. Yet the continent still accounted for less than 2% of global manufacturing output and around 1.4% of global manufacturing exports.
The AfDB's 2026 development review also describes a manufacturing base still concentrated heavily in lower-technology activities, with infrastructure, finance, skills and technological capabilities constraining expansion into more sophisticated production.
This matters because advanced companies do not emerge in isolation.
A semiconductor company needs specialist engineers, reliable electricity, advanced materials, precision equipment, research laboratories, suppliers, intellectual property protection and customers.
An automobile company needs component manufacturers, steel and plastics suppliers, software engineers, testing facilities, dealerships, service networks and financing.
An industrial engineering corporation needs customers with factories, power infrastructure, technical standards, skilled personnel and a sophisticated supplier ecosystem.
A software corporation needs developers, capital, computing infrastructure, customers, intellectual property and access to international markets.
When these surrounding systems are weak, companies face higher costs and greater risks. Some remain small. Others become distributors of foreign technology rather than owners of their own.
Africa's problem is therefore not simply a shortage of ambitious entrepreneurs. It is the limited depth of the industrial ecosystems in which those entrepreneurs must operate.
Why has Africa struggled to build these corporations?
There is no single explanation. Several structural barriers reinforce one another.
A. Industrialisation started late and remained incomplete
Europe, the United States and Japan developed large manufacturing ecosystems over generations. South Korea and Taiwan built advanced manufacturing capabilities through sustained investment in education, industrial development, technology acquisition and export competitiveness.
China expanded its manufacturing system through decades of infrastructure investment, industrial clusters, domestic market growth, technology development and integration into international supply chains.
Many African countries, by contrast, inherited economies heavily oriented towards exporting primary commodities and importing manufactured goods.
After independence, industrial policies were pursued in different countries, but many projects struggled with limited finance, inadequate infrastructure, small domestic markets, political instability, external shocks and inconsistent implementation.
This history matters. A company cannot instantly develop the supplier networks and technical capabilities that took other industrial economies decades to accumulate.
B. Electricity and logistics make production expensive
A manufacturer competes on the total cost of delivering a reliable product—not merely the wages it pays.
That cost includes electricity, transport, imported components, insurance, customs, financing, maintenance, storage and distribution.
An African manufacturer may face:
Electricity interruptions and expensive backup generation.
High transport costs between factories, ports and customers.
Delays at borders and customs facilities.
Limited rail and freight connectivity.
Expensive imported machinery and spare parts.
Foreign-exchange volatility.
A company that has to pay more to manufacture the same product will struggle against an international competitor with more reliable infrastructure and deeper supply chains.
The AfDB's 2026 industrial development review identifies infrastructure gaps, limited access to finance and skills shortages among the constraints on industrial competitiveness.
C. African markets are fragmented
A business operating in a single African country may face a limited customer base, particularly in industries requiring expensive factories and research investment.
The automobile industry illustrates this problem.
A vehicle manufacturer needs sufficient sales volume to justify investment in design, production equipment, testing, suppliers and after-sales infrastructure.
A company serving only one small national market may struggle to achieve competitive production costs.
This is one reason why regional integration is so important. A manufacturer should be able to serve several African markets from a production base designed for regional scale.
D. Finance is not sufficiently suited to long-term industrial investment
A bank may be comfortable financing a trader who imports goods and sells them within months.
Financing a company that develops a new vehicle, builds an electronics factory or invests in pharmaceutical research is a different proposition.
These businesses may need substantial capital before generating reliable returns.
The International Finance Corporation's 2025 analysis of African technology startups highlighted a major funding challenge: venture-capital deals fell by around 52% between 2022 and 2024, while approximately 80% of funding for African firms in its analysis came from foreign sources.
This dependence creates vulnerability when international investors become more cautious.
Africa needs more domestic and regional sources of patient equity, growth capital, industrial lending and export finance.
E. Research and development remain insufficiently connected to industry
Universities may produce engineers and scientists, but that does not automatically create companies capable of turning research into commercial products.
Research institutions need relationships with manufacturers, hospitals, technology businesses, agricultural producers and industrial laboratories.
A university engineering department should be able to work with an African manufacturer to develop a new motor, improve an industrial pump, design a solar inverter or create a more efficient agricultural machine.
The UNIDO Industrial Development Report 2026 identifies weak innovation ecosystems, limited technological capabilities and shortages of relevant industrial skills as important constraints.
F. Too many businesses stop at importing and assembling
Assembly is not inherently bad. It can be an important first stage of industrial learning.
But an economy that imports nearly every major component, technology platform and production system may capture only a limited share of the final product's value.
The longer-term challenge is to move from assembly into component production, engineering, product design, testing, maintenance, software, research and intellectual property.
G. Policy uncertainty makes long-term investment difficult
A company planning a factory that may operate for 25 years needs predictable rules.
Frequent changes to tariffs, taxes, import restrictions, foreign-exchange access, investment regulations and government contracts can undermine investment decisions.
Industrial companies need stable institutions and credible commercial rules. They also need fair competition, enforceable contracts and protection against arbitrary government action.
The automobile industry: Can Africa build its own Toyota?
The African automobile industry illustrates both the continent's potential and the scale of the challenge.
South Africa and Morocco are the two leading production centres. A September 2026 industry outlook estimates that Africa produced approximately 1.23 million vehicles in 2025, around 1.3% of global production, with South Africa and Morocco accounting for more than 91% of that output. These are industry estimates rather than a complete official continental census.
Morocco has developed an export-oriented automotive ecosystem, while South Africa has a longer-established vehicle and component manufacturing base.
However, there is an important distinction:
Having factories owned by international automobile manufacturers is not the same as having an African-owned global automobile corporation.
Foreign manufacturers bring jobs, investment, technology, production standards and export access. Their presence can help develop local suppliers and technical skills.
But African-owned companies must also develop their own designs, brands, engineering capabilities, intellectual property and international distribution networks.
What would an African Toyota require?
It would need to develop in stages.
Component manufacturing: Seats, wiring harnesses, tyres, lamps, batteries, glass, vehicle electronics and other components.
Engineering capability: Vehicle testing, mechanical design, electrical systems, software and quality control.
Commercial vehicle production: Buses, delivery vans, agricultural vehicles, motorcycles and specialised transport equipment.
Vehicle platforms: Standardised chassis and modular platforms that can support different models.
Own-brand production: African-designed vehicles with proprietary engineering and internationally recognised quality.
International expansion: Export markets, service centres, spare-parts networks and long-term customer support.
Africa should not assume that its first globally competitive automobile company must produce luxury passenger cars.
There may be more realistic entry points in buses, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, agricultural machinery, electric three-wheelers, fleet vehicles and specialised industrial transport.
These products can address genuine African market needs while allowing manufacturers to develop engineering and production capabilities.
Could Africa develop its own electric vehicle industry?
Potentially, but it should avoid the assumption that mineral deposits automatically produce a competitive battery industry.
Battery manufacturing requires chemistry expertise, industrial chemicals, reliable electricity, advanced equipment, quality control, investment and access to customers.
African countries can participate at different stages: mineral processing, battery materials, components, pack assembly, recycling, charging systems and vehicle production.
The commercial case must be assessed for each stage and location.
An African electric mobility company might begin by manufacturing buses or commercial vehicles designed for local road conditions and operating costs, then expand into neighbouring markets.
That could create a more practical route towards a globally competitive automotive corporation than attempting to build an entire passenger-car industry from scratch.
Electronics: Can Africa create its own Samsung?
Electronics is one of the most strategically important industries in the modern economy.
It underpins telecommunications, computers, automobiles, medical equipment, defence systems, renewable energy, industrial automation and artificial intelligence.
Yet Africa's participation in global electronics production remains limited.
UNCTAD's 2023 Economic Development in Africa Report identified opportunities in mobile-phone supply chains, solar energy components and battery materials. It highlighted the potential for African countries to move beyond raw materials into the production of components and other higher-value products.
But the question is not simply whether Africa can manufacture smartphones.
It is whether African businesses can own important parts of the electronics value chain.
The electronics ladder
Industrial stage | What African companies could develop |
|---|---|
Basic assembly | Phones, computers, televisions, routers |
Components | Cables, circuit boards, connectors, casings, power supplies |
Power electronics | Solar inverters, battery management systems, chargers |
Industrial electronics | Sensors, controllers, smart meters, automation equipment |
Advanced components | Specialist semiconductors, power modules, selected integrated circuits |
Original products | African-designed devices, communications equipment and industrial systems |
Africa does not need to begin by building the world's most advanced semiconductor fabrication plants. Those facilities require enormous capital, specialised expertise, highly reliable utilities and complex global supply chains.
A more achievable starting point for many countries could be:
Power electronics and solar equipment.
Smart electricity meters.
Telecommunications hardware.
Industrial sensors and control systems.
Printed circuit board assembly.
Electronic components for automobiles.
Medical and agricultural devices.
Repair, testing and refurbishment industries.
These industries can develop technical expertise and suppliers that support more advanced manufacturing later.
A possible African electronics company
Imagine an African company that begins by producing solar inverters and battery management systems.
It initially serves domestic energy companies, commercial buildings and industrial customers.
Over time, it develops its own power electronics, software, monitoring systems and manufacturing processes. It expands into smart-grid equipment, industrial controllers and electric-vehicle charging technology.
It eventually sells to customers in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
That would be an African technology company with internationally valuable engineering capabilities.
It would not need to manufacture every component itself. Samsung also operates within a global ecosystem of specialised suppliers. The critical distinction is that the African company would own meaningful technology, design and product capabilities rather than simply distribute imported equipment.
Industrial engineering: Can Africa create its own Siemens?
This may be one of the most important opportunities for African industrial development.
Siemens does not simply manufacture products for consumers. It provides technologies that other companies depend on to operate factories, manage energy, automate production and modernise infrastructure.
An African industrial engineering corporation could develop expertise in:
Electrical transformers and switchgear.
Industrial motors and pumps.
Factory automation.
Process-control systems.
Mining equipment.
Water-treatment technology.
Railway signalling and control.
Industrial software.
Renewable energy and grid-management systems.
Predictive maintenance and industrial AI.
Why is this important?
Because industrial engineering companies help other industries become more productive.
If Africa builds its own industrial equipment manufacturers, those businesses can supply mines, farms, power stations, factories, ports, transport networks and construction companies.
They can also create thousands of skilled jobs and support a much wider network of suppliers.
The mining equipment opportunity
Consider the mining industries of South Africa, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana.
Mining operations need drilling equipment, pumps, conveyor systems, industrial sensors, electrical equipment, safety systems, maintenance services and specialised software.
A large proportion of sophisticated machinery is sourced from international manufacturers.
African engineering firms could develop specialised equipment and maintenance capabilities around these markets.
They could start with components, refurbishment, repairs, monitoring systems and locally adapted machinery. With accumulated expertise, they could move into original equipment design and export.
This is how industrial capabilities can develop: solve a real commercial problem, master the technology, improve the product and gradually expand the market.
Software: Can Africa create its own Microsoft?
Software presents a different opportunity from automobiles and semiconductor manufacturing.
A software company does not necessarily need a large factory, an extensive physical distribution network or a massive supply of raw materials.
It can develop a product in one country and sell it internationally.
That does not make global software competition easy. It requires engineering talent, substantial investment, cybersecurity, reliable infrastructure, customer support, intellectual property, international compliance and the ability to build products that customers continue paying for.
Africa has already produced important digital business models.
M-Pesa — Mobile financial infrastructure
Demonstrates how a digital platform developed around African market conditions can become a widely used financial service.
Flutterwave — Payments technology
An African-founded payments business seeking to connect merchants and payment systems across markets.
Andela — Technology talent
Demonstrates the international demand for software engineering skills developed and supplied from African markets.
These examples are not equivalent to Microsoft in scale, product breadth or global market position. They demonstrate different capabilities that could support the next generation of African technology businesses.
Where could an African Microsoft emerge?
Africa could develop internationally competitive software companies in:
Financial infrastructure: Cross-border payments, compliance, identity verification and business banking.
Artificial intelligence: African-language models, enterprise AI and specialised industrial applications.
Cybersecurity: Threat intelligence, digital identity, fraud prevention and security operations.
Education technology: Learning platforms, assessment systems and educational infrastructure.
Healthcare software: Hospital management, medical records, diagnostics and pharmaceutical supply chains.
Logistics and maritime intelligence: Vessel tracking, port analytics, cargo visibility and trade-risk systems.
Agricultural technology: Farm management, commodity intelligence, crop monitoring and supply-chain finance.
The opportunity is not necessarily to build another general-purpose operating system or office suite.
It may be to develop a specialised platform that solves a major problem for businesses across several continents.
For example, an African software company could become a global provider of maritime intelligence for shipping companies, insurers, freight forwarders, ports and commodity traders.
Its competitive advantage would come from the quality of its data, analytics, customer relationships and proprietary technology—not simply from being African.
The challenge: moving beyond startup culture
A startup ecosystem can produce many new companies without producing many large, durable technology corporations.
Africa needs more businesses that move through the full growth cycle:
Early-stage product development.
Commercial validation and paying customers.
Expansion into multiple African countries.
Large-scale investment and professional management.
International sales and distribution.
Acquisitions, research and product diversification.
The IFC's research on African venture capital highlights the difficulty of financing companies beyond their early stages, particularly when local growth-capital markets are limited.
The goal should not be simply to produce more startups. It should be to produce more technology companies that become profitable, resilient international businesses.
Which African countries could develop these industrial and technology giants?
Different countries have different starting advantages. No single country needs to dominate every sector.
Country or region | Existing capabilities and possible pathways |
|---|---|
South Africa | Automotive components, mining equipment, industrial engineering, chemicals, financial and digital services |
Morocco | Automotive supply chains, aerospace components, fertilisers, electrical equipment and export manufacturing |
Egypt | Pharmaceuticals, electronics assembly, engineering, chemicals, construction equipment and digital services |
Nigeria | Software, fintech, industrial chemicals, cement, fertilisers, consumer products and commercial vehicles |
Kenya | Fintech, telecommunications, software, agricultural technology and logistics |
Ethiopia | Textiles, leather, light manufacturing, aviation and industrial services |
Ghana | Agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, electrical components and industrial services |
Zambia and DRC | Copper processing, cables, battery materials, mining equipment and mineral-related engineering |
Côte d'Ivoire | Food processing, cocoa products, agricultural machinery and chemicals |
Tunisia | Electrical components, automotive parts, engineering and software services |
These are potential development pathways, not guarantees that each country already has a globally competitive industry in every listed area.
The African Development Bank's 2025 industrialisation assessment found that 41 of 54 African countries improved their industrialisation scores between 2010 and 2024, but substantial gaps remain in manufacturing scale and export performance.
The importance of regional specialisation
Imagine a future African industrial network:
The DRC and Zambia supply processed minerals and materials.
South Africa develops mining equipment, engineering and specialised components.
Morocco produces automotive and electrical components.
Egypt develops industrial equipment, pharmaceuticals and electronics.
Nigeria provides a large market for machinery, chemicals and consumer products.
Kenya develops software, payments and logistics systems.
Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire expand agro-processing and industrial food production.
This is not a prediction that these countries will necessarily develop these industries. It is an illustration of how regional specialisation could create commercial opportunities larger than any one national market.
The World Bank's August 2026 report Integrating Africa: From Threads to Hubs makes a related argument: regional production networks can allow countries to combine capabilities, specialise and reach efficient production scale. It also identifies significant trade costs arising within national borders.
Africa needs a new generation of industrial entrepreneurs
One important distinction separates a successful trader from an industrial entrepreneur.
A trader identifies a product that customers want, imports it and distributes it profitably.
An industrial entrepreneur identifies a market opportunity and develops the capabilities to design, manufacture, improve and sell a product.
Both contribute to the economy. But the second model builds more of the technological and productive capacity that allows an economy to compete internationally.
Africa needs more entrepreneurs willing to undertake difficult, long-term industrial projects.
Consider the following possibilities:
A Nigerian entrepreneur building a global agricultural machinery company.
A Kenyan engineer developing industrial software for international factories.
A South African company producing advanced mining equipment.
A Moroccan manufacturer developing its own automotive components and vehicle systems.
A Ghanaian pharmaceutical business supplying medicines to international markets.
A Zambian company manufacturing electrical cables and industrial power equipment.
An Egyptian company developing specialised industrial automation technology.
These are not merely business ideas. They represent possible foundations for new African corporations.
But entrepreneurs cannot achieve this alone. They need access to finance, technology, customers, skilled employees, reliable infrastructure and predictable commercial rules.
Universities must become partners in industrial development
Africa's universities should become much more closely connected to the productive economy.
A university should not measure its success only by the number of graduates it produces or research papers it publishes.
It should also ask:
How many commercial technologies have emerged from its research?
How many businesses have been created around university inventions?
How many manufacturing companies use its laboratories?
How many industrial problems have been solved through research partnerships?
How many patents, licences and commercially viable products have been developed?
Universities, technical colleges and industrial businesses should jointly establish applied research programmes.
For example:
University research | Potential commercial product |
|---|---|
Electrical engineering | Solar inverters and grid equipment |
Mechanical engineering | Pumps, motors and machinery |
Chemistry | Fertilisers, industrial chemicals and battery materials |
Computer science | AI, cybersecurity and enterprise software |
Agricultural science | Food processing and agricultural technology |
Biomedical science | Diagnostics and pharmaceutical products |
Materials science | Industrial coatings, ceramics and advanced components |
The goal should be to create a stronger relationship between scientific knowledge and commercial production.
African governments need to finance the growth of companies, not just the creation of startups
One weakness in many business ecosystems is the emphasis on starting companies without sufficient attention to scaling them.
A startup may receive a small grant, accelerator support or seed investment. But when it needs $20 million, $50 million or more to build production facilities, enter new countries or develop advanced technology, the financing options may become limited.
Africa needs a more complete financing structure.
The African industrial growth-finance ladder
Stage 1 — Startup capital
Grants, angel investors, university commercialisation funds and seed investment.
Stage 2 — Expansion capital
Venture capital, growth equity, development finance and commercial partnerships.
Stage 3 — Industrial capital
Long-term bank loans, industrial investment funds, private equity, bonds and export credit.
Stage 4 — Global expansion
International capital markets, strategic acquisitions, joint ventures and overseas subsidiaries.
Development finance institutions such as the African Development Bank, Afreximbank and the Africa Finance Corporation can help mobilise capital and reduce specific investment risks.
But financing must remain commercially disciplined. Governments should not keep uncompetitive businesses alive indefinitely simply because they have been designated national champions.
Africa needs to build its own industrial supply chains
A global company cannot depend indefinitely on importing every important component.
This does not mean every component must be manufactured domestically. Even advanced industrial economies rely on international suppliers.
The objective is to develop enough local and regional suppliers to create meaningful industrial depth.
Consider an automobile company.
Its supply chain could include:
Steel and aluminium producers.
Tyre manufacturers.
Glass producers.
Electrical cable manufacturers.
Battery and electronics suppliers.
Software and sensor developers.
Industrial maintenance companies.
Packaging and logistics providers.
A single large factory can create commercial opportunities for hundreds of smaller businesses.
The same applies to electronics, pharmaceuticals, agricultural machinery and renewable energy equipment.
The World Bank has argued that deeper participation in regional and global value chains can improve productivity through stronger supplier linkages and access to better inputs and know-how.
This is why industrial development should not be measured only by the number of factories built.
It should also measure the number of African suppliers, engineers, technicians, service providers and technology businesses connected to those factories.
Should Africa build one giant corporation in each country?
Not necessarily.
There is a temptation to believe that every African country needs its own Samsung, Toyota, Siemens and Microsoft.
That would be an expensive and potentially inefficient approach.
A country with a small domestic market may not be able to sustain a major semiconductor industry, automobile manufacturer and advanced engineering corporation simultaneously.
It may be more productive to specialise.
For example:
One country may develop battery materials.
Another may manufacture electrical components.
Another may produce vehicles.
Another may specialise in industrial software.
Another may develop pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Companies can then operate across national borders.
The important distinction is between national prestige and commercial competitiveness.
A government may want to announce that it has built its own automobile company. But if that company produces expensive vehicles that customers do not want, it has not created a sustainable industrial advantage.
Africa should prioritise commercially viable companies capable of exporting, innovating and competing without permanent protection.
What should Africa do over the next 15 years?
A realistic industrial strategy must be phased.
Years 1–3: Build the foundations
Identify a small number of commercially viable industrial priorities.
Improve electricity and freight infrastructure.
Establish university–industry research partnerships.
Expand technical and engineering training.
Develop long-term industrial finance.
Improve customs, standards and cross-border trade.
Years 4–7: Develop African-owned industrial companies
Expand component manufacturing.
Build domestic supplier networks.
Finance industrial research and product development.
Develop regional manufacturing partnerships.
Support African brands and export certification.
Improve access to international distribution.
Years 8–11: Move into technology ownership
Develop proprietary products and industrial systems.
Increase research and development.
Expand into higher-value manufacturing.
Develop African intellectual property.
Build stronger corporate governance and management.
Acquire technology and businesses where commercially justified.
Years 12–15: Build global corporations
Establish international manufacturing and service operations.
Develop overseas distribution networks.
Expand through mergers and acquisitions.
Build global technology partnerships.
Compete for major international contracts.
Establish recognised African brands in selected industries.
This is a strategic framework, not a guaranteed timetable. Some companies could grow faster; others would require considerably longer.
The measures that matter
Africa should track:
The number of African-owned companies exporting manufactured goods and technology services.
The share of industrial production involving domestic and regional suppliers.
The number of companies with proprietary products, patents and registered technology.
Manufacturing productivity and product quality.
The number of African companies operating in multiple international markets.
Investment in industrial research and development.
The number of skilled jobs created.
The commercial survival and profitability of companies receiving public support.
These measures would help distinguish genuine industrial progress from announcements, factory openings and politically sponsored projects.
The risks Africa must avoid
There are several ways this ambition could fail.
The national champion problem: Governments select favoured companies and protect them from competition, producing politically connected monopolies rather than innovative corporations.
The assembly trap: Factories open, but most components, designs, software and production technology remain imported.
The debt problem: Governments borrow heavily to finance industrial projects without sufficient demand, credible business plans or repayment capacity.
The technology dependency problem: African businesses use foreign technology but never develop the engineering and research capacity to improve or replace it.
The startup valuation problem: Technology companies focus on attracting investment and increasing valuations without developing sustainable products, revenues and customer relationships.
The fragmentation problem: Countries compete to attract the same investments instead of building regional supply chains and complementary industries.
These risks are not arguments against industrialisation. They are reasons to design it carefully.
The 2040 question: What could an African industrial landscape look like?
Imagine an Africa in 2040 where:
African-designed buses and commercial vehicles operate in cities across several continents.
African electronics companies manufacture power systems, industrial controllers and communications equipment.
African engineering corporations supply mining, energy, railway and manufacturing industries internationally.
African pharmaceutical companies manufacture medicines and medical technologies for global markets.
African software corporations provide cybersecurity, financial infrastructure, AI and logistics platforms to international customers.
African industrial groups own factories, research centres, patents and distribution networks in multiple countries.
This would not mean Africa had replaced China, Europe or America.
It would mean African companies had become meaningful participants in the global economy—not simply as suppliers of raw materials, consumers of foreign technology or destinations for international investment, but as owners of technology, brands, industrial capabilities and productive capital.
That is the transformation this question is really about...
Africa must stop asking whether it can compete and start building the conditions to do so.
Can Africa create its own Samsung, Toyota, Siemens or Microsoft?
The important question is not whether Africa can reproduce those exact corporations. It is whether African economies can build the institutions, industrial ecosystems, financial systems, research capabilities and international markets that allow world-class companies to emerge.
That requires a different development ambition.
Africa must move beyond celebrating the number of startups it creates and begin measuring the number of companies that become globally competitive.
It must move beyond importing machinery and begin manufacturing more of the equipment its industries need.
It must move beyond exporting minerals and develop businesses that process materials, design components and manufacture finished products.
It must move beyond using foreign software and develop proprietary platforms that solve problems for international customers.
And it must move beyond competing as 54 fragmented markets towards building companies that can operate across the continent.
The next generation of African economic power will not be determined only by who controls its minerals, ports, land or natural resources. It will also be determined by who owns the factories, technologies, patents, brands and corporations that create value from them.
Africa's ambition should be to produce companies that the rest of the world needs—not merely companies that depend on the rest of the world for everything they sell.
By Jugo Ikeji Uju
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