This study is based on the conviction that industrialisation should form an important part of any development strategy that is focused on changing economic structure and alleviat-ing poverty on a sustainable basis.

The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) shares this conviction and in consequence has taken keen interest in the discourse around industrial policy and industrial development pro-grammes in the West African sub-region. By commissioning this study, the FES seeks to make a contribution on the re-flection of the implementation of industrial policies.