Creating Systems of Innovation in Africa: Country Case Studies

Preface

v Preface The South African Research Initiative (SARChI) started the research applying the innovation systems theory approach to African problems of development and structural transformation since 2008. Throughout the last four years the SARChI chair has concentrated research on innovation to address the challenges of African development inspired by the vision that Africa’s bright future is better created by making it rather than predicting a destination to reach at some unknown date. The SARChI started the African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development in 2008 and we have published four issues every year, it is the expectation that six issues will be published in 2013 with Taylor and Francis publishers. This has been an important outlet for emergent African researchers as nearly 70 per cent of those who publish in the journal are Africans both in Africa and abroad. The objective is to create a publishing outlet in Africa with ISI listing This will enable researchers to produce and publish research papers that are peer reviewed with high impact factors. The African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development is firmly on track in achieving the recognition and rating that will make it sustainable. It is one of the key milestones of the DST/NRF Research chair in innovation and development that Tshwane University was offered. The journal has a website: www.ajstid.com This book series is another milestone of the SARChI chair initiated. This volume has the distinction in 2012 of being the first to start the production of a series of books on the systematic application of the innovation system approach to the challenges and opportunities of accelerating and fully realising the creation of an African national innovation system. The application of systems of innovation framing and theories to African problems of development is still new. The field has been dominated by development studies. This book series offers an alternative by proposing systems of innovation approach to generate knowledge, learning and competence building in Africa as a primary highway for Africa to make the development journey into the future. In the African context, the combination of innovation with development is a big challenge. It is not easy to do it. The main reason is that Africa’s economic development has been constrained by the load it still suffers from the colonial legacy. The states as they exist are divided and when they form regions, they still remain divided. There are claims that Africa’s fortunes are changing and conflicts are decreasing. There are some economies that are growing by over seven per cent. Democratisation is slowly and surely vi PREFACE growing. Technologically mobile phone users are growing and the ICT revolution in Africa may help Africa to leapfrog and join as a player rather than a victim of the division of labour in the world economy. There is a need to appreciate that the key to Africa’s development remains the ability of Africa to create a united African economy. The existing states or the regions they suffer from a formidable deficit, that is, failure to ‘Put Africa First’ and failure to formulate a united policy and strategy to deal with the colonial legacy and the new and current challenges Africa is facing today. Therefore the book series articulates and highlights the research needed on African innovation and development at various levels to demonstrate what would work most effectively in the specific African context and ultimately create an integrated African system of innovation. Mammo Muchie and Angathevar Baskaran ...