The Africa Competitiveness Report 2015 comes out at an auspicious moment for the continent. Africa’s solid average growth rate of more than 5 percent over the past 15 years bears witness to the region’s impressive economic potential. A growing labor force and a large and emerging consumer market hold the promise of significant further growth opportunities.Through a comprehensive analysis of Africa’s most pressing competitiveness challenges, the Report discusses the barriers and difficulties that have been preventing Africa’s economies from reaching their full potential. It examines the role and potential of the agriculture sector, which provides employment for a large share of the working population; it also considers the service sector, looking at how to reap the full benefits of this increasingly prominent sector as well as its implications for structural transformation. The Report also explores the potential for regional and global value chains to help Africa’s economies develop and expand new activities and build dynamic and competitive agricultural and service sectors. In doing so, it further informs an ongoing debate on the role of the manufacturing sector in Africa’s development. Finally, this work provides competitiveness profiles for 40 African countries, along with a comprehensive summary of the drivers of productivity and competitiveness in the continent.