Industrial policy and industrialisation in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The foregoing discussion on industrial policy suggests that governments in Africa should play an active role in industrial development. This role, however, must be adapted to the new external and internal environment facing Africa. The new conditions may be presenting opportunities, but the constraints they pose must also be recognised. First, there are constraints arising from the recent Uruguay Round agreements, which led to the formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Second, there are constraints relating to the capacity of African governments to design and implement industrial policy in a changing environment.