TECHNOPOLICY BRIEF 10

HOW CAN INNOVATION SYSTEMS ANDINNOVATIVE CLUSTERS BE USED TO
DEVELOP AFRICA?

Osita Ogbu

AFRICAN TECHNOLOGY POLICY STUDIES NETWORKPublished by
The African Technology
Policy Studies Network,P.O. Box 10081, 00100 General Post Office,Nairobi, Kenya.
© 2004 African Technology
Policy Studies Network (ATPS)
Printed byISBN:ABOUT THE AFRICAN TECHNOLOGY POLICY STUDIES NETWORKThe African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) is a multi-disciplinary networkof researchers, policy makers, actors in the private sector and other end-users
interested in generating, promoting and strengthening innovative science andtechnology policies in Africa. With a regional secretariat in Nairobi, the network
operates through national chapters in 21 African countries, with an expansion plan
to cover the entire sub-Saharan Africa.
One of the objectives of the network is to disseminate research results to policy
makers, legislators, the organized private sector, civil society, mass media andfarmers’ groups through publications, dialogue and advocacy. Among its range ofpublications are the Working Paper Series (WPS), Research Paper Series (RPS),
Special Paper Series (SPS) and the Technopolicy Briefs.
Technopolicy Briefs Series are commissioned short papers written byexperts from all over the world specifically to address current science andtechnology policy concerns and questions in Africa. The briefs are also
summaries of technical papers published under our WPS, SPS and RPS
written to highlight significant policy recommendations. These briefs arewriten with the busy policymakers and non-specialists in mind. The materials
are designed for general readership and help advance the advocacy andknwoledge brokerage roles of the ATPS.
ATPS is supported by a growing number of donors including the InternationalDevelopment Research Centre (IDRC), the Carnegie Corporation of New York, theRockefeller Foundation, the World Bank, the OPEC Fund, Ford Foundation, CocaCola Eastern Africa, the African Development Bank, and the Royal Dutch Government.

Table of Contents
1.0

Introduction

12.0

How has Finland Applied the System of Innovation

33.0

What is the African Experience?

44.0

What is the Contribution of the African Technology Policy
Studies Network (ATPS)

5

1.0
Introduction
The subject of innovation systems and innovative clusters is not new. It was developedand used in Sweden, Finland and most of the Nordic and other developed countries
with great benefits. In developing countries including Jamaica and Brazil attempts
have been made to develop and use this system and there are on-going efforts in
Africa to come to grips with the concept and its utility in the overall schemes andprograms for Africa’s development.
Most economic recovery and development plans in Africa are written by economists
and planners, often of the neoclassical persuasion. In almost all the documents, theassumption is that technology is important, and market forces will be robust enoughto drive the content and shape the technological trajectories to the overall benefit ofour peoples. This could not be farther from the truth. With this false assumption, noattempt is made to construct a system that ensures that centres of research and new
knowledge are linked to centres of innovation/commercialization. The networkingof actors in research and development (R&D) institutions (both public and private)
and those in industry, therefore, receive no attention.
We all recognize that innovation is key to economic growth and development. But
we have failed to realize that it just doesn’t happen. It requires the government tocreate a set of incentives that encourages linkages and networking among theplayers, processes and organizations.
These incentives have to be structured to reward a change in attitude, a change ininnovation culture: from passive to active collaboration; from closed to open innovation.
In Africa, we need to engender a “hacker ethic”, and innovative ethos that motivates
individuals to place greater value on inventions than on money because this approach
could create a “network of rebels”, each trying to outdo the other creatively in a
supportive innovative environment. A system that invests in channelling the creative
1

ATPS Technopolicy Brief 10
energy of these individuals in a manner that links several institutions together andfosters a strong partnership between the public and the private sector should be partof the national schemes of innovation. All of these come together through a wellarticulated national science and technology policy with the highest leadership of thecountry as its driver.

22.0
How has Finland Applied the System ofInnovation?
The national system of innovation in Finland is instructive here. Starting withtechnology assessment in 1976, a science and technology policy council was set
up with the Prime Minister as its Chair. It made conscious and deliberate decision tofoster linkages between researchers, universities and industry. The government
increased the national investment in research from 1.2 percent of GDP to 2.2 percent
by 1992 and an independent national technology agency, TEKES, was founded in1983 to finance technology research and development. This agency reports to theMinistry of Trade and Industry to underscore the important economic links. This
council’s governing organ has at least eight ministers, including education, andtrade and industry, rectors and top researchers from Finish universities, captains ofmajor industry, Director of TEKES, and the science academy. This endeavour wasextremely important in creating a shared vision and in sustaining the efforts towards
defined national goals. Funding for research emphasized partnerships with othercompanies and with the university. The Finnish high quality engineering universities
played very important roles in this process, and so was The Finnish National Fundfor Research and Development (SITRA), which played the role of a public venture
capitalist. In essence, the government was central in nurturing an innovation culture,providing the environment and the nuts and bolts which were important for people tonetwork and produce. Today, many of us in Africa and indeed in this audience areenjoying one of the fruits of this endeavour: the Nokia phone. In many ways, Nokia isa truly Finnish national product. It is a good example of how private company hasturned Finnish knowledge, its know-how, created by public universities and research
institutions, into a product by providing the financial basis. The experiences of manyindustrialized of industrializing economies are similar to this.

33.0
What is the African Experience?
In most of Africa, the national councils of science and technology exist. But that is themuch we can say about them. They are under funded, poorly staffed and ill-equippedand cannot serve as a clearing house for national SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY orfor creating a shared vision on inventions and innovations. If Africa must makeprogress, it must urgently re-think the role of national councils of science andtechnology, their continued relevance, and perhaps consider a re-positioning thatgives them strong coordinating roles between the universities and research
institutions, the government and the industry.

44.0
What is the Contribution of the African
Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)?
ATPS is an African institution set up to agitate for these changes, to underscore theimperatives of science and technology policy for Africa’s economic recovery andrenewal, and to foster good technology policy making and implementation. It does
this through support for research, training and policy dialogue. With chapters in 22
countries, ATPS is able to react quickly to emerging national science and technology
policy issues and to articulate a research agenda that is demand-driven. On theplatform of national chapters, ATPS is able to question the depth of the poverty
reduction strategic plans and economic recovery plans that do not allocate significant
roles to science and technology policy. Such exercises have been conducted inGhana, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania.

5For more information this series and ATPS Contact:

The Executive Director
The African Technology Policy Studies Network
3rd Floor, The Chancery, Valley RoadP.O. Box 10081 00100 General Post Office
Nairobi, Kenya
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