From 2010-2021, South Africa maintained a very high ranking. It was closely followed by Morocco, in second place, and Egypt, Tunisia and Mauritius, which completed the top six. Indeed, during the period covered, ten countries increased by five places or more in the ranking. These are Djibouti, Benin, Mozambique, Senegal, Ethiopia, Guinea, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ghana, and Uganda. In terms of the regional ranking, North Africa remains the most advanced in terms of industrial development, followed by Southern Africa, Central Africa, West Africa and East Africa.

According to the ADB, successful countries are not necessarily those with the largest economy, but those that generate the highest manufacturing value added per capita, with a significant proportion of products destined for export.