<p>This paper analyses the effect of special economic zones (SEZs) on export diversification using a sample of 45 African countries over the period 1996–2021. After constructing the SEZ variable by means of a literature search and using Bayesian analysis to select the relevant determinants of diversification and the entropy balance method to assess the impact, we established that countries that have adopted SEZs notice an improvement in their level of export diversification compared to those that have not, all other things being equal. This result remains valid when controlling for a range of economic, geographic, socio-cultural and institutional variables.necessary. The results are robust with various alternative measures of SEZs, the use of alternative estimation methods and sample heterogeneity by geographic region. Finally, the results suggest that technological development is a channel through which the adoption of SEZs increases export diversification in African countries.</p>