Using data from the OECD-Trade in Value Added (TIVA) database, this paper analyzes Tunisia’s national and sectoral participation and positioning in global value chains (GVC) during 2005–2015. This paper also aims to illustrate countries with which Tunisia is highly integrated into GVC, by exploring the countries of origin of foreign value added in Tunisian exports, and the countries exporting Tunisian domestic value added share of its gross exports. Tunisia is among the most integrated countries, during the whole period of study. It has a high level of participation in GVC in many industrial activities, particularly in the textile, clothing and leather sector, food processing, and electronic and electrical equipment. The backward linkage in its GVC integration can be explained by the choice of specialization in its production, which roughly explains its position in the middle-stream–downstream. However, its participation in value chains remains regional rather than global. Around 60% of its GVC participation is with European countries. Overall, our results suggest that Tunisia has a potential that has been well exploited for the period 2005–2010 (period before the Tunisian revolution). However, this success remains limited since political and socio-economic crises have limited the potential of Tunisia’s current participation in the GVC.

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about the vulnerabilities of global value chains (GVCs), leading to discussions on how to enhance their resilience, security, and sustainability through adjustments to Industry 4.0 roadmaps. While some argue that digitization under Industry 4.0 could be a potential solution to make GVCs more resilient, others suggest that it could potentially reverse the trend toward GVCs and favor near-shoring or reshoring. However, empirical research on the impact of digital technologies on GVCs proliferation is lacking. This study addresses this gap by using a panel data set covering 27 African countries from 2005 to 2018 to examine how digitalization under Industry 4.0 affects the participation of African countries in GVCs. The findings reveal that digital infrastructure and skills positively and significantly impact GVCs participation. However, based on the Hansen threshold model, we find that when digital skills are below a certain threshold, digital infrastructure negatively affects both forward and backward linkages to GVCs. Conversely, when digital skills are above the threshold, digital infrastructure has a positive impact only on backward linkages. Nonetheless, digital skills consistently and significantly impact the participation of African countries in GVCs, irrespective of the level of digital infrastructure. As a conclusion, this study highlights the importance of digital infrastructure and skills in shaping the participation of African countries in GVCs, and underscores the need for further research in this area.