ABSTRACT
The digital economy is attracting increasing attention from policymakers and industry actors, resulting in a refocus on industrial policies. Against this backdrop, African and European states are trying to upgrade their digital fabrics to maintain their competitiveness, presence, and standing on the global industrial map. The past years have been marked by new initiatives that relate to Industry 4.0, and by new approaches through which industrial companies adapt to the transformations brought about by digitalisation. This chapter focuses on the way Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia are trying to cope with these transformations in a context marked by discussions on the evolution of the partnership between the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU). To safeguard and expand their manufacturing sectors, decision-makers in Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia are trying to strengthen their country’s position within global and regional value chains. We argue that the digitalisation of the manufacturing sector should be further prioritised in Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia, and that cooperation with the EU would be beneficial – both financially and technically.
