Innovation Ecosystems in Africa aims to deepen and broaden the visibility and interrogation of African innovation systems in practice by offering unique analysis of the emergence, growth and future prospects of endogenous innovation practices and lessons across the continent. The stories depict systemic innovations in a range of critical development areas from health and education to leadership and entrepreneurialism, and span from North to South, and East to West, covering more than a dozen different African cities and countries. In addition to sharing knowledge about exciting but rarely acknowledged cases of innovation in Africa, the book serves also as a work to inform policymakers and practitioners throughout Africa on how to learn from experiences towards developing more enabling innovation ecosystems to nurture creativity and solve the problems that we have. This book provides policymakers, business and opinion leaders both inspiration and useful policy takeaways that can guide strategies and support concrete measures to foster and speed up the pace of developmentally impactful innovation on the continent. Innovation Ecosystems in Africa builds upon the work of the African Innovation Summit (AIS), by further examining how the innovation systems environments in Africa function (or not) to address the most basic conditions of socio-economic and institutional development required on the continent. In this volume, learning case studies identified alongside the second Africa Innovation Summit (Kigali, June 2018) examine various sectoral exemplars and transversal dimensions to help inform insights about how policymakers and practitioners might develop more effective and impactful innovation-driven strategies, ecosystems and enterprises. This edited collection uses multi-country, cross-sectoral case studies to advance an empirically grounded, appreciative investigation of how innovation is being used to address fundamental development challenges on the continent, and how the African innovation ecosystems could be made more enabling into the future.

Our current situation, marked simultaneously by the Anthropocene, global warming, digitization and exponential artificial intelligence, leads us to sudden and total change in global civilization and, de facto, to rebuilding the foundations of the international economy. Innovation Ecosystems explores the risks and opportunities facing the contemporary world by analyzing, comparing and categorizing the world’s most dynamic innovation ecosystems by region and city. This includes the identification of key characteristics – common or original – and learning from them in terms of culture, management, system and structure, in order to meet current challenges and think about civilizations of the future.

This study—which includes a pilot intervention in Kenya—aims to further the state of knowledge about the emerging trend of disruptive agricultural technologies (DATs) in Africa, with a focus on supply-side dynamics. The first part of the study is a stocktaking analysis to assess the number, scope, trend, and characteristics of scalable disruptive technology innovators in agriculture in Africa. From a database of 434 existing DAT operations, the analysis identified 194 as scalable. The second part of the study is a comparative case study of Africa’s two most successful DAT ecosystems in Kenya and Nigeria, which together account for half of Sub-Saharan Africa’s active DATs. The objective of these two case studies is to understand the successes, challenges, and opportunities faced by each country in fostering a conducive innovation ecosystem for scaling up DATs. The case study analysis focuses on six dimensions of the innovation ecosystem in Kenya and Nigeria: finance, regulatory environment, culture, density, human capital, and infrastructure. The third part of the study is based on the interactions and learnings from a pilot event to boost the innovation ecosystem in Kenya. The Disruptive Agricultural Technology Innovation Knowledge and Challenge Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, brought together more than 300 key stakeholders from large technology companies, agribusiness companies, and public agencies; government representatives and experts from research and academic institutions; and representatives from financial institutions, foundations, donors, and venture capitalists. Scaling Up Disruptive Agricultural Technologies in Africa concludes by establishing that DATs are demonstrating early indications of a positive impact in addressing food system constraints. It offers potential entry points and policy recommendations to facilitate the broader adoption of DATs and improve the overall food system.

This contributed volume explores and reveals the dynamics, strengths and weaknesses, trends and implications of entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Presenting papers by respected experts in the field, it shares essential insights on the status quo of entrepreneurship and the opportunities and threats it faces in the MENA region. Topics range from development of entrepreneurial universities to international entrepreneurship, as well as emergent topics such as green entrepreneurship, sustainable entrepreneurship and youth entrepreneurship.

The book is very policy-oriented and fills an important gap in the literature on policies related specifically to the dialogue of civilisation in a globalized world. Deals with cross-cutting issues in economic integration, conflict management, human rights and sustainable development. Addresses challenges such as religious extremism, environmental problems, and political unrest.

Achieving Zero Hunger, defeating poverty and accelerating sustainable inclusive growth are key objectives pursued by the African continent, particularly in the framework of the UN Agenda 2030 and the African Union Agenda 2063. However, the region has been facing persistent challenges resulting in high levels of food and nutrition insecurity, rampant poverty, environmental threats, underperformance of the agrifood sector, unemployment and under-employment for young (male and female) people, especially in rural areas. Addressing the challenges and seizing the available opportunities require news skills, capabilities and product development, which notably involves strongly anchoring digital technologies in all business processes. Falling costs of digital technologies and their popularisation are driving innovations to develop solutions to improve the productivity, incomes and resilience of farmers and food systems. This includes the building of more adaptive and agile value chains through use of data, leveraging the power of satellite observation and geodata to address pest and disease threats; the development of novel solutions for supporting farmers’ social protection; and the enhancement of traceability systems applied to food products from farm to fork. The COVID-19 impacts have demonstrated even more the need to mainstream digital solutions in agrifood business, policy and development programme implementation processes

This book uncovers the many ways in which innovations and innovation system development policies have become crucial to development policy formation across Africa. As new instruments, actors and tools emerge in development cooperation, the role of innovation in the societal development of developing countries needs to be addressed fully. This book delves into subjects as diverse as the changing development policies between the Global North and South, the role of innovation in international aid and development policies, the role of public, private and non-governmental sectors, universities and other development actors, and the potential for inclusive innovation in local communities. In particular, the book asks who benefits from innovation-focussed development policies, and if and how practical innovation instruments include the global poor. Written in an accessible and engaging style, the book includes a range of discussion questions and further reading suggestions to suit a range of readers, from students right through to policy makers and practitioners, or anyone else looking for an introduction to innovation policies and development in Africa.

The WIPO Magazine explores intellectual property, creativity and innovation in action across the world.

In business, success hinges not only on individual performance but on the vitality of the broader ecosystem in which a company operates. However, crafting a thriving ecosystem alone is not enough to ensure success. Equally vital is the ability to manage relationships within this ecosystem effectively, harnessing its potential to enhance overall performance. Moreover, startups face the daunting challenge of scalability, a pivotal factor in long-term sustainability. Yet, achieving scalability often proves elusive due to complexities in resource management and ecosystem development. Innovation and Resource Management Strategies for Startups Development is a comprehensive solution to the pressing issues of resource management, ecosystem development, and startup scalability. This unique reference book delves deep into these critical aspects, offering a wealth of ideas, case studies, and best practices alongside thorough theoretical analysis. We recognize the undeniable influence of resource management and ecosystems on startup scalability, and our objective is to enhance understanding in this domain. By examining the powerful concepts that have shaped development policy and dissecting the role of resource management and ecosystem development in current discourse, our book provides the necessary insights to identify inefficiencies and facilitate startup scalability. It goes beyond mere theory, fostering collaborative strategies among resources, ecosystems, and startups on a global scale, ultimately contributing to social and economic development.

A timely collection full of astute insights and critical analysis that helps to fill gaps in the literature on the dynamics and potential for innovation on the African continent. The COVID-19 crises brought into sharp focus the cross-cutting nature of science, technology and innovation (STI). Policy-makers, beyond those responsible for innovation policy, were suddenly required to effectively mobilise STI for a whole range of functions. This included science for decision-making as well as the identification and deployment of a wide range of innovations. The results of these efforts are mixed and explored in this volume in greater depth by a cohort of leading continental researchers. This collection is an essential primer for policymakers and researchers who wish to unlock transformative innovation for social and economic benefit. Imraan Patel, Deputy Director-General: Research Development and Support, Department of Science and Innovation, South Africa This book provides a thought-provoking and rich analysis of what COVID-19 meant for Africa. It is very timely because the continent needs to prepare for future shocks. This book goes to the heart of the needed policy response. It is not just about resilience but about transformation; about redirecting economies and societies towards addressing a wide range of economic social, and environmental challenges. It explores the role of innovation, including technological, social, frugal and other forms of bottom-up innovation. A must read for academics and policy-makers who care about the future of Africa and the world Prof. Johan Schot, Global History and Sustainability Transitions, Utrecht Centre for Global Challenges, Utrecht University, and Visiting Professor University of Johannesburg