This chapter describes Southern Rhodesia’s continued post-war industrial expansion, the government’s industrial policy, and the consolidation of organised industry into a national association, the Federation of Rhodesian Industries (FRI), established in 1949. It then covers the FRI’s politics up to 1957, when it amalgamated with industrialists of the other two federal territories, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. This consolidation occurred in the socio-economic and political environment that ‘birthed’ the Central African Federation (CAF) in 1953. The post-war environment and the establishment of the CAF were significant in shaping the relationship between the FRI and the state regarding government assistance to secondary industries. The FRI, like its predecessor, was persistent in its pursuit of a definitive industrial policy and government assistance through protective tariffs, among other factors of production. In doing so, it faced a reluctant, if not outright dismissive, state. This apparent arrogance of the state towards secondary industries triggered wide-ranging criticisms from the FRI. All of these dynamics form the core discussion in this chapter.

The chapter begins with an analysis of the impact of the post-war economic environment on the government’s industrial policy and industrial expansion. It then examines the consequent transfiguration of the organisational structure of secondary industry. Under the stimulus of continued industrial expansion and due to the desire to achieve more for the country in general and the sector in particular, a colony-wide association of industrialists, the FRI, was formed. The second section goes on to examine the nature, form, and effectiveness of state assistance for secondary industries and the various responses by industrialists thereto, and the last shows the size and the structure of secondary industries that emerged under the existing policy environment.

The chapter concludes that to achieve industrial expansion, industrialists received minimal state assistance and, in fact, largely persevered on their own. Despite the increasing importance of secondary industries to the country and the numerous pleas and proposals from the FRI, the state continued to be a reluctant partner. For instance, by 1957, almost all of industry’s requests were yet to be attended to or were completely dismissed by government; even when they did receive attention, it was not satisfactory. Yet, this did not inhibit industrial growth and expansion. In what follows, the discussion turns to how industrial growth and expansion were achieved, notwithstanding the reluctance of the state.