As Africa positions itself as the next global manufacturing frontier, stakeholders from across the continent are turning their focus to one of the sector’s most pressing challenges — access to finance. Under the banner “Financing African Manufacturing Growth”, leading policymakers, financiers, and industry experts will converge at the Manufacturing Indaba, to explore how innovative financing models, public-private partnerships, and investment incentives can transform the future of African manufacturing.

According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), Africa’s manufacturing sector requires over US$50 billion annually in new investment to meet industrialisation goals, but the continent faces a financing gap of at least US$20–25 billion per year. Meanwhile, SMEs — which account for more than 90% of all businesses and roughly 80% of manufacturing jobs in Africa — receive less than 20% of total available commercial financing.

“Financing is the fuel of industrialisation,” says Liz Hart, Managing Director of the Manufacturing Indaba, “Africa’s manufacturers need more than ambition — they need access to capital, blended finance models, and a policy environment that de-risks industrial investment.”

Key Focus Areas Include:

• Innovative SME Financing Models: From asset-based lending and supply chain finance to development-backed credit facilities, experts will unpack practical tools to unlock growth for small and medium manufacturers.
• Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs): Successful PPP case studies will be showcased, demonstrating how collaborative models can finance industrial infrastructure, logistics, and power supply.
• Incentives & Policy Reform: Governments across Africa are revising industrial policy frameworks to create investment-friendly environments, including tax holidays, import duty waivers, SEZ benefits, and credit guarantees.

With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) unlocking a potential US$3.4 trillion market, financing scalable manufacturing operations is more urgent than ever to build local production capacity, boost exports, and create millions of jobs.

This high-level session will be a central feature of the upcoming Manufacturing Indaba, bringing together banks, DFIs, investment firms, ministries, industrialists, and manufacturing leaders from across the continent.

ENDS