Green Windows of Opportunity and Catch-Up Industrialization in Africa

Radical changes in the technologies of existing industries linked to the green transition create windows of opportunity for African countries to strategically link up to these technological developments and use them to catalyse economic development on the continent. The chapter explains the green and sustainability shifts occurring in three manufacturing sectors—textile and apparel, automobiles, and green hydrogen and related applications—and examines the opportunities that they provide and how African countries can take advantage of them. Moving to the technological frontier in these industries requires that African governments leverage foreign knowledge and incentivize foreign direct investment but also support local firms to use the presence of foreign firms to enter global value chains, build their capabilities, and generate scale economies.