Ghana did not have a single industrial policy at the dawn of the last decade. In Kenya, only nine government interventions in trade, investment, or labor mobility were identified, and just 12 in Nigeria, as the long era of global free trade and open markets held sway.
Yet by 2022, just 12 years later, a dramatic surge has been uncovered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, using Global Trade Alert data, counting 23 such policies in Ghana alone, 38 across the continent in Kenya — and 84 in Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria.
Most are aimed at job creation, in agribusiness most commonly, they are almost certainly popular with citizens, and mirror the shift in the United States, China, and Europe, where industrial policy is “back with a vengeance?” the EBRD acknowledged. So why is the bank concerned?
About the author
Rob Merrick
Rob Merrick is the U.K. Correspondent for Devex, covering FCDO and British aid. He reported on all the key events in British politics of the past 25 years from Westminster, including the financial crash, the Brexit fallout, the "Partygate" scandal, and the departures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Rob has worked for The Independent and the Press Association and is a regular commentator on TV and radio. He can be reached at rob.merrick@devex.com.
