Africa and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A Historical Analysis

Résumé

This study examines Africa’s engagement with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) from a historical and structural perspective, situating contemporary technological change within the longue durée of global industrial development and Africa’s constrained position within the longue durée of global industrial development. It interrogates the dual character of the 4IR as both an opportunity for leapfrogging into knowledge-based development and a mechanism that may reproduce techno-colonial relations through data extraction, digital dependency, and unequal global value chains (GVCs). The analysis shows that colonial legacies and post-independence policy limitations have restricted Africa’s industrial and technological sovereignty, shaping its enduring digital and economic vulnerabilities. The results indicate that Africa’s participation in the 4IR remains uneven owing to infrastructural deficits, limited research and development capacity, and low digital inclusion, despite sectoral advances in mobile money, fintech, and agricultural innovation. Regional initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Smart Africa are identified as key drivers of harmonizing digital policies, expanding intra-African trade, and strengthening collective bargaining in global digital governance. Using a qualitative historical-comparative method based on secondary sources, this study critically reinterprets existing literature on Africa’s technological evolution from pre-colonial systems to modern digital economies. The study concludes that achieving digital sovereignty, strengthening human capital, and embedding African epistemologies and sustainability principles are essential for equitable 4IR integration.