By 2034 a Robot in the US Will Undercut Kenyan Garment Workers. That Is the Clock Africa’s Industrial Strategy Is Running Against.

In 2034, it will be cheaper to produce a garment with a robot and 3D printing in the United States than to have tens of people make the same item in Kenya. That is the estimate of Dirk Willem te Velde, principal research fellow and director of the International Economic Development Group at ODI, and it puts a date on the expiry of the advantage that underwrites most African industrial strategy. The model that is running out Textiles have been the standard entry point to industrialisation because