WHY AFRICA NEEDS MORE INVESTMENT IN INNOVATION, DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

July 27, 2012 Editor 0

Roy and Deirdre Marcus

Originally published in DESIGN> magazine, this article looks at the current relationship between innovation and economy within Africa. Although government-thinking is significantly advanced in this area, certain steps are needed to improve the situation within the private and public sector. Roy and Deirdre Marcus emphasise education, leadership and knowledge-sharing as key factors in this process.

Having accepted that innovation is now recognised as the key driver for economic growth in both developed and developing economies, we need to look at Africa in the context of global markets. The reality is that the very concept of innovation is generally well-accepted within African governmental circles. In fact, one of the most serious concerns is that in many African countries, government-thinking is way more advanced than that of the private sector. There is a serious concern as to why the take-up of innovation, as a key business driver, is appallingly low. The reverse is true in countries and companies where innovation is driven by the private sector. The private sector sets the pace, and governments are expected to create the necessary legislative frameworks to capitalise on the private sector-led initiatives.

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Categories: Feature Articles

Tags: africa, DESIGN, government-thinking, Innovation, private sector, Roy and Deirdre Marcus