This study empirically examines the roles of foreign direct investment and e-government in sustainable industrialisation for a sample of 26 African countries from 2002 to 2023. Our results based on the dynamic GMM technique reveal robust evidence that FDI promotes sustainable industrial development in Africa. Not only does FDI promote overall SDG 9, but FDI also improves industrial productivity and reduces emissions from manufacturing. The study further demonstrates that e-government promotes sustainable industrialisation, while the dimensions of e-governance (e-participation, telecommunication infrastructure, human capital, and online services) also exert a positive effect on sustainable industrialisation. We also find that e-government complements FDI to foster sustainable industrial development. Conditional marginal analysis of FDI indicates significant variations between countries with well-developed and less-developed e-government frameworks. Our findings emphasise that e-government plays a crucial role in addressing government weaknesses that stymie the potential role of FDI in promoting sustainable industrial development in Africa.