This article studies the relationship between the foreign direct investment (FDI) and the industrialization. It examines the impact of the FDI on industrial performances in a sample comprising thirty nine African countries within the period extending from 1980 til 2015. The estimation technique hinges upon the generalized method of moments along with instrumentation of variables based on dynamic panel data. On the one hand, the results of different estimations proved that the FDI does not contribute to the industrialization of Africa. Contrarily, the latter has a positive and significant impact on added value by manufacturing integrating interaction variables. On the other hand, the FDI contribute significantly to the amelioration of the added value in the industrial sector. The positive and significant effect characterizes the five African regions in a distinct manner. This disparity is essentially due to the availability of natural resources and the difference in inter-regional economical and political structures. Based on the aforementioned results, it is advisable that African countries reinforce the FDI in favor of industrialization in order to assure an adequate structural transformation of the continent.