Nairobi — Billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote has called for faster industrialisation across Africa, saying the continent must create jobs and economic opportunities to absorb its growing young population. Speaking on the inaugural episode of BBC Africa Enterprise shortly after the groundbreaking of his planned refinery in Lamu, Kenya, Dangote said African countries must shift from…
Executive Summary Africa’s industrialisation challenge is not primarily a shortage of ideas, policy intent, or entrepreneurial energy, but a constraint in financial architecture and capital deployment. The continent’s ability to build factories, infrastructure, and value-added industries is limited by the cost, structure, and accessibility of long-term finance. Until capital markets are deepened and better aligned…
For many years, Nigeria has relied heavily on crude oil exports while importing many of the finished products it consumes, leaving much of the value creation, jobs and industrial opportunities to other countries. But as global supply chains are being reshaped by geopolitical tensions, the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and…
· Bank commits $20bn into Nigerian economy in the last five years President Bola Tinubu has charged the leadership of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to intensify efforts to mobilise and deploy the continent’s vast human, financial, and natural resources for the collective economic advancement of Africans. Tinubu said Africa’s drive for industrialisation could not remain…
President Museveni has hosted President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema of Gabon at State House, Entebbe. The high-level meeting focused on economic transformation, industrialisation, agriculture and regional cooperation. During the meeting, President Nguema congratulated President Museveni upon his inauguration, describing the occasion as historic. “I could not see anyone else winning other than you because you…
The Annual Retreat of the Group of African Ambassadors in China (GAAC), held in Beijing from 23 to 24 April 2026 on leveraging China’s 100% tariff-free offer to African countries, concluded on a strong and forward-looking note. GAAC Member States and participants underscored the importance of coordinated African approaches, supported by harmonised continental strategies and…
Funmi Ogundare Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and renowned historian, Toyin Falola, have hailed a new book written by Development Economist, Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, describing it as a practical blueprint for Africa’s long-awaited industrial renaissance. Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, a former Senior Special Adviser on Industrialisation to the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), recently unveiled ‘The Quest…
Since the 19th century, industrialisation has had a transformative effect on the world, both positive and negative. It has created jobs and lifted millions out of poverty. But it has also had devastating consequences; destroying ecosystems, polluting the air, and driving the climate crisis that threatens to make large parts of the planet uninhabitable. But…
Belem, Brazil, 13 November 2025 — At the ongoing 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is strategically advocating for a climate agenda that aligns with Africa’s sustainable development and industrialisation ambitions as outlined by its President, Dr. George Elombi. The Bank’s delegation is advocating for a pan-African…
