Morocco tops Africa’s industrialisation index for first time

North Africa leads Africa’s industrialisation, but continent-wide gains remain slow and uneven.Abidjan, Ivory Coast – Morocco has ranked first in Africa’s industrialisation index for the first time, overtaking Africa" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="534" data-entity-type="location">South Africa, which had held the top position since 2010, according to a new report by the African Development Bank (AfDB).The bank’s 2025 Africa Industrialisation Index ranked Morocco at 0.8415 points, narrowly ahead of Africa" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="534" data-entity-type="location">South Africa’s 0.8396 points, reflecting what the AfDB described as sustained industrial upgrading, export diversification and the effective implementation of strategic industrial policies.Africa" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="534" data-entity-type="location">South Africa remains one of the continent’s leading industrial economies, the report said, but has experienced a gradual long-term decline in industrial competitiveness. Its score fell from 0.8819 points in 2010 to 0.8396 points in 2024.The index measures industrialisation across three main dimensions: industrial performance; direct drivers such as investment, infrastructure, education and access to finance; and indirect factors, including the business environment, the rule of law, public debt and inflation.Arab nations dominate rankingsEgypt ranked third in Africa with a score of 0.7827, followed by Tunisia at 0.7760. Algeria placed sixth with 0.6661, meaning four Arab countries featured among the continent’s top six industrial economies.The report described Morocco, Africa" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="534" data-entity-type="location">South Africa, Egypt and Tunisia as Africa’s leading industrial quartet, maintaining a significant lead over most other economies on the continent. Mauritius ranked fifth, followed by Algeria, Eswatini, Senegal, Namibia and Ivory Coast to complete the top 10.