(a) Explain the term manufacturing industry (b) Highlight the characteristic features of manufacturing industries in Tropical African countries (c) Give any...

(a) Meaning of manufacturing industry

A manufacturing industry is an economic activity concerned with the processing or transformation of raw materials or semi-finished goods into finished or more useful (higher-value) products for consumption, using labour, machinery and power, for example turning cotton into textiles or crude oil into refined products. It belongs to the secondary sector of the economy.

(b) Characteristic features of manufacturing industries in Tropical African countries

1. They are mostly light and small-scale industries based on processing local raw materials (food, textiles, soap, beverages).
2. They are few, poorly developed and concentrated in a few large towns and ports (for example Lagos, Nairobi).
3. They rely heavily on imported machinery, spare parts and technical skill, and often on foreign capital.
4. They suffer from inadequate power supply, capital and skilled labour, so they operate below capacity.
5. They produce mainly for the home/local market and add little value, since most raw materials are still exported unprocessed.

(c) Four reasons why countries embark on industrialization

1. To create employment and reduce unemployment.
2. To add value to local raw materials and diversify the economy away from dependence on primary exports.
3. To earn and save foreign exchange by producing goods for export and reducing imports (import substitution).
4. To raise national income and living standards and provide manufactured goods for the population.

(Also: to encourage the growth of towns and infrastructure and to promote technological advancement.)