African nations are leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to build internal industrial capacity and reduce reliance on external markets. This shift is driven partly by the pressure of the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which penalizes high carbon imports. Financial institutions have committed $100 billion toward green manufacturing and renewable energy projects across the continent. The strategy focuses on solar and hydropower to secure energy independence and support a low carbon industrial transition.
