Kampala. The African Union (AU) is set to hold the 2025 Africa Industrialization Week (AIW 2025) in Kampala .
It will run from November 17 to 21, under the theme “Transforming Africa’s Economy through Sustainable Industrialization, Regional Integration and Innovation.”
The event to take place at Speak Resort Munyonyo , underscores the urgent need for value addition in Africa’s resource-rich sectors, promising jobs, skills, and prosperity for millions.
At a time when Africa supplies over 70 percent of the world’s mined cobalt—primarily from Central African nations—the AU emphasizes moving beyond raw extraction.
“Africa must build the technology value chains that cobalt powers,” the AU’s promotional graphic declares, highlighting hands exchanging blue cobalt rocks for smartphones. This call aligns with broader goals to harness natural resources for structural transformation, fostering manufacturing and processing to fuel the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Hosted by the Republic Uganda in partnership with the AU Commission, UNIDO, UNECA, AUDA-NEPAD, and the Afro-Champions Initiative, AIW 2025 aims to bridge policy, investment, and innovation. Objectives include showcasing replicable sustainable industrialization models, strengthening coordination among AU Member States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and providing networking platforms for youth start-ups and women-led enterprises.
The agenda features high-level speeches on Africa Industrialization Day (November 20), panel discussions on topical issues, and exhibitions where innovators display value-added products to investors.
Expected outcomes include: enhanced intra-African trade, policy recommendations for infrastructure like industrial parks, and guidelines under the Action Plan for Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa (AIDA) and IDDA III.
With Africa’s manufacturing sector contributing just 10 percent to GDP—far below global averages—AIW 2025 could accelerate diversification amid global green transitions demanding critical minerals.
Civil society and private sector voices will amplify calls for inclusive policies, addressing gender gaps via the 4th African Women in Processing Forum and empowering youth through the inaugural African Youth Start-ups Forum.
As Speke Resort Munyonyo prepares to welcome dignitaries, REC representatives, and entrepreneurs, the week promises actionable steps toward Agenda 2063’s vision of a prosperous, integrated Africa.
“Value addition isn’t just about production—it’s about jobs and wealth at home,” said the AU statement, inviting stakeholders to join in powering Africa’s industrial future.