African industrial hubs: diversity, unevenness and strategic approach

Economic agglomeration and industrial clusters have always been part of industrialization and economic development. Since the 1960s, industrial hubs have proliferated in Asia, driven by policies to foster economic catch-up and structural transformation. Industrial hubs are relatively new to Africa but continue to attract attention from policymakers and researchers. However, empirical studies on African industrial hubs have been inadequate and, to date, have had only a limited influence on policymaking. Contrary to accepted wisdom, underperforming African industrial hubs offer an opportunity for policy learning from successes and failures. This paper aims to fill the existing knowledge gap from a policymaking perspective. It has three objectives: first, to demonstrate the diversity, the uneven and mixed outcomes,and the evolving nature of African industrial hubs; second, to provide insights and policymaking lessons through a comparative analysis of four diverse cases, namely those of Mauritius, the China-Africa economic and trade cooperation development zones, the Tanger Med Complex in Morocco and the recent experiment with industrial hubs in Ethiopia; third, to show that developing synergies to advance industrialization requires a strategic approach, integrating the state’s productive role and executive excellence within the broader industrial policy framework.