In the 19th to early 20th century, steel production was a crucial indicator of a country's national strength. As the grain of industry, it could measure the scale of a country's industrial and infrastructure construction. This was also the main reason why East Africa prioritized the steel industry in its industrial development plans.
As a major power, East Africa undeniably achieved remarkable results in many fields. However, the steel production figures reveal that East Africa's industry still has a long way to go. Although East Africa ranks third or fourth in steel production, its per capita steel consumption is the lowest among the top-ranking countries.
