A report issued by the African Development Bank as part of the “Africa Industrialization Index 2025” indicates that Morocco has become the continent’s leading industrial economy, surpassing South Africa according to the study’s assessment criteria.
The report, presented alongside the first “Africa Industrial Investment Barometer”, prepared by Witba Invest in partnership with Trendeo during the annual meetings of the African Development Bank, links Morocco’s progress to growth in industrial value, export diversification and industrial policy development.
According to the findings, 41 out of 54 African countries improved their industrial performance indicators between 2010 and 2024, contributing to a 6 percent increase in overall continental industrial performance.
Despite these gains, Africa continues to account for less than 2 percent of global manufacturing output and approximately 1.4 percent of manufactured exports worldwide.
The report also highlights challenges related to regional industrial integration, noting that intra-African trade represents 14.4 percent of total trade exchanges.
In addition, North Africa ranked highest across industrial investment indicators and accounted for 56 percent of cumulative industrial investments on the continent between 2020 and 2025, with Morocco and Egypt identified among the leading destinations for industrial investment.