Doubling in a Decade

For the enterprising businessman, Africa is the continent of extremes: nowhere is industry less developed; in few places is there more eventual need for it. A United Nations purvey out this week estimates that industrial production in Arab, black and white Africa will double in the next ten years, and quadruple over the next 20 years. But all this is atop a very small base. Per capita industrial output would have to increase 25-fold for Africa to catch up with the current levels in industrialized nations. ,

At present, most African industry is small, light, and based on the conversion of agricultural raw materials. Africa is thus not much of a competitor to the heavy manufacturers of the industrial countries. But" Africa, the U.N. report noted, is beginning to develop or expand its own metals, machinery, chemical and textile industries. Presumably Africa should be a happy hunting ground for entrepreneurs--but they have to be businessmen ready and willing to take enormous political risks.

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