Africa Launches First Industrial Investment Barometer to Track Continent’s Industrial Growth

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB), together with WITBA Invest SA and Trendeo, has launched the inaugural African Industrial Investment Barometer (AfIIB), a new tool designed to measure and analyze industrial investment trends across the continent.

The launch took place on the sidelines of the AfDB’s 2026 Annual Meetings in Brazzaville, coinciding with Africa Day celebrations and a broader push to strengthen data-driven policymaking for industrial development in Africa.

The AfIIB aims to provide policymakers, investors, and development institutions with a structured framework to assess industrial investment flows, identify emerging strategic sectors, and evaluate the quality and sustainability of industrial projects across African economies.

Developed by WITBA Invest SA in partnership with Trendeo, the barometer complements the Africa Industrialization Index (AII), offering a more detailed view of private-sector-driven investment dynamics, including diversification, attractiveness, and productive anchoring of industries. 

According to the AfDB, the tool will help improve decision-making by providing insights into manufacturing performance, infrastructure development, macroeconomic stability, and labor capacity key factors influencing Africa’s industrial transformation agenda.

Officials said the initiative comes at a time when African economies are seeking to accelerate structural transformation and attract more private investment into productive sectors amid persistent financing gaps and global economic uncertainty.

The launch forms part of a broader set of flagship reports unveiled during the 2026 Annual Meetings under the theme “Mobilising Africa’s Development Financing at Scale in a Fragmented World,” which has drawn policymakers, investors, and development partners to the Congolese capital.

The AfIIB is expected to become an annual publication, offering a continuous benchmark for industrial investment performance across Africa and supporting long-term strategies for economic diversification and sovereignty.