The predominance of consumer-oriented industries in developing countries is accounted for by

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks why developing countries mostly have consumer-oriented industries. These are industries that make finished goods for everyday use, such as food processing, textiles, soap, beverages and footwear.

Step 2: Explain the concept Consumer (light) industries need:

• Relatively small capital
• Simple technology
• Less specialized labour

Heavy or capital-goods industries, such as steel, machinery and petrochemicals, need:

• Huge capital
• Advanced technology
• Highly skilled engineers and technicians

Developing countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Togo usually lack these requirements, so they concentrate on simpler consumer industries.

Step 3: Evaluate the options

• A. Limited demand: Wrong. Developing countries have large populations and high demand for basic consumer goods.
• B. Adequate capital: Wrong. Capital is usually inadequate in developing countries.
• C. Limited skilled manpower: Correct. A shortage of skilled labour makes it hard to run complex heavy industries, so countries settle for simpler consumer industries.
• D. High level of technology: Wrong. Developing countries typically have a low level of technology.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is C. limited skilled manpower.

Exam tip: In "developing countries" questions, expect the problem to be a shortage of something: capital, skills, technology or infrastructure. Options that say "adequate" or "high" are usually traps.