@article{Bhorat:267780,
      recid = {267780},
      author = {Bhorat, Haroon  and Steenkamp, Francois and Rooney,  Christopher},
      title = {Africa’s Manufacturing Malaise},
      address = {2016-01-01},
      number = {2063-2018-649},
      pages = {47},
      year = {2016},
      abstract = {The levels of poverty and inequality in Africa are high in  relation to the rest of the world. In order to reduce these  twin ailments, more and better jobs need to be created. A  key source of more and better jobs for developing countries  is to be found in the manufacturing sector. Structural  transformation involves the shift of productive resources  from low productivity primary activities toward high  productivity manufacturing activities. Therefore,  understanding the constraints that countries face when  trying to structurally transform and develop their  manufacturing sector is important. In order to analyse the  constraints to manufacturing growth, particularly in  African countries, we employ the Atlas of Economic  Complexity analytical framework developed by Hausmann &  Hidalgo (2011). The analysis shows that, in general,  African countries have not undergone manufacturing-led  growth-inducing structural transformation. However, Africa  is not one country, and the analysis demonstrates  heterogeneity in the African experience, with some African  countries exhibiting growth in their manufacturing sectors.  The analysis indicates that the process of structural  transformation is a path-dependent one, in which a  country’s current productive capabilities embodied in its  export structure, influence the extent to which it can  shift production toward increased manufacturing activity.  We argue that, with regard to manufacturing sector growth  in Africa, there is no policy ‘silver bullet’. Rather,  subsequent analysis needs to determine the specific  productive capabilities required by manufacturing firms in  African countries on a case-by-case basis.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/267780},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.267780},
}