ABSTRACT
In sub-Saharan Africa the industrial sector is typically fragile in terms of relative size, structure, orientation, and performance. For example, in 1985, sub-Saharan Africa had a share of 9.5 percent of the world’s population and 11.4 percent of the population of developing countries. By 1986, 29 sub-Saharan Africa countries had embarked on economic policy reforms under structural adjustment programmes (SAPs). The former tend to fall steeply and the latter tend to rise substantially as per capita gross national product rises. This is why structural transformation has been closely associated with industrial development and both with economy-wide development. A major source of information relating to sub-Saharan Africa’s implementation of the economic reform measures under SAPs is World Bank. The chapter provides a brief outline of the context in which policy change was deemed necessary. It looks at the implementation of the SAPs and that is followed by a critique of the reform measures and, thereafter, by concluding remarks.
