Industrial Development in Africa
Senior 3 · Geography
Industrial Development in Africa
Lesson 2 of 4
30 min
Let's begin
In 1886 gold was found on the Witwatersrand, on the high, dry grasslands of South Africa. There was no port, no large river and no town. Yet within a century the area around Johannesburg had become the greatest industrial region in Africa, with steelworks, engineering firms, chemical plants and the head offices of banks. Why did industry gather there, and why do governments everywhere want more of it?
Definition
Industrial location: the place where an industry is set up, chosen to keep costs low and reach buyers. Weight-losing industry: an industry whose raw materials are heavier than its products, so it is best located near the raw materials; for example tea, sugar and cement. Weight-gaining industry: an industry whose products are heavier or bulkier than its raw materials, so it is best located near the market; for example beer and soft drinks, which add water. Agglomeration: the clustering of many industries in one area so that they can share services, workers and suppliers.
| Factor | How it influences industry | African example |
|---|---|---|
| Raw materials | Weight-losing industries locate near their raw materials to cut transport costs | Tea factories beside Rwanda's tea estates; sugar mills beside the cane fields of KwaZulu-Natal |
| Power | Heavy industries need large, cheap supplies of energy | Highveld coal for Gauteng's steel; Aswan hydropower for Egypt's aluminium |
| Labour | A supply of workers, some skilled, at a wage firms can pay | Large urban workforces in Cairo and Johannesburg |
| Capital | Money to build factories and buy machines, from savings, banks or foreign investors | Foreign investment in car plants at Gqeberha and Durban |
| Market | Weight-gaining industries and perishable goods locate near buyers | Breweries and bakeries in large towns such as Kigali |
| Transport | Ports, railways and roads bring in materials and take out products | The port of Durban; the Suez Canal for Egyptian industry |
| Water | Needed for cooling, washing and processing | The Vaal River for Gauteng; the Nile for Egypt |
| Government policy | Tax breaks, special economic zones, protection and stability attract investors | The Kigali Special Economic Zone; Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone |
| Technology and an early start | Skills, research and established firms attract more firms | Gauteng's industries, built up over more than a century |
| Benefit | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Employment | Factories create jobs directly and in transport, trade and services |
| Value addition and exports | Processed goods earn more than raw materials, bringing in foreign exchange |
| Import substitution | Goods made at home save money that would be spent on imports |
| Markets for farmers and miners | Factories buy local crops, livestock and minerals |
| A more varied economy | The country depends less on one or two raw exports |
| Infrastructure and towns | Roads, power and water are extended; industrial towns grow |
| Skills and technology | Workers gain skills; new technology spreads |
| Government revenue | Taxes on firms and workers pay for public services |
Worked example
Worked example 1: weight-losing or weight-gaining? (illustrative figures) A sugar mill crushes 100 t of cane to make 11 t of sugar. A brewery uses 2 t of malt and other dry ingredients to make 20 t of beer. Where should each be built?
Worked example
Worked example 2: the cost of distance (illustrative figures). Transport costs 100 Frw per tonne per km. A cement plant could be built at the limestone quarry, 250 km from Kigali, or in Kigali. It needs 1.5 t of limestone for each tonne of cement. Compare the transport cost of one tonne of cement in each case.
Warning
No single factor explains a location. Examiners want several factors working together, with examples: Gauteng has gold, coal, iron ore, water, labour, a market and railways. Avoid answers that name only "raw materials".
Tip
Remember the eight location factors with "Real Power Lets Companies Make Things With Gusto": Raw materials, Power, Labour, Capital, Market, Transport, Water, Government.
Viking Geo: the factors that decide where economic activities, including factories, are located. Pause after each factor and add an African example.
Practice
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
