Running up that hill? The challenges of industrialization in the East African community

Abstract

This article explores why the level of industrialization and manufacturing has remained so stubbornly low within the East African Community. The paper argues that the manufacturing sector's development is stunted because of a common set of factors - firstly, the international context is now extremely difficult for new players to enter into global manufacturing. Secondly, there has been a collective failure to actively implement industrialization policies. The paper concludes that the best option for the development of EAC industry is to focus on both 'recapturing domestic markets' and simultaneously exploiting better the potential of regional markets.