Creation, Deployment, Diffusion and Export of Sub-Saharan Africa-originated Information Technology-Related Innovations

A number of high profile innovations have been created in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this paper, we examine the mechanisms associated with the development, deployment, diffusion, and export of SSA-originated innovations. The paper gives special consideration to the relative roles and contributions of local and outside resources in the creation and deployment of innovations in SSA economies. A key focus of the article is on the roles of local infrastructural facilities, systems and services in affecting the diffusion of SSA-originated innovations. Also discussed are the features of SSA-originated innovations that explain the diffusion rates. It provides a detailed analysis and description of the key characteristics of SSA-originated innovations that can increase the possibility of being internationalized or exported to other countries. Finally, we analyze how such mechanisms vary across large and small scale innovations

Learning to Innovate in Nigeria's cable and wire manufacturing sub-sector: inferences from a firm-level case study

Firm performance is known to be connected to firm-level innovation capability. Innovation capability, in turn, is an output of technological learning. This paper evaluates technological learning among firms in the Cable and Wire manufacturing sub-sector in Nigeria, using a purposively selected case firm. We developed a model of the relationship between the innovative activities of the firm - as evidence of its capability – and its knowledge acquisition methodology. These are discussed within the context of the firm’s stock of human capital. We found low technological innovation capability and high capability for organisational and marketing innovation. Preparedness for technological learning is relatively poor with staff training intensity of 5% and innovation intensity of 0.0075%. We therefore propose stronger interconnectedness of the National Innovation System and creation of industry specific structures that could enhance learning.Technological learning; sub-sector; Cable and Wire manufacturing industry

Building Innovation Capabilities for Sustainable Industrialisation

This book argues that renewable electrification in developing countries provides important opportunities for local economic development, but new pathways are required for turning these opportunities into successful reality. Building Innovation Capabilities for Sustainable Industrialisation offers a novel input into the debate on development of capabilities for sustainable industrialisation and delivers key insights for both researchers and policy makers when it comes to the question of how to increase the economic co-benefits of renewables expansion. The chapters in the book use a tailored analytical framework in their studies of renewable electrification efforts in Kenya and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. They draw on a mix of project, sector and country level case studies to address questions such as: What capabilities are developed through on-going renewable electrification projects in developing economies? How can the expansion of renewable electrification be supported in a way that also encourages sustainable economic development? What role do international linkages (South-South and North-South) play and what role should they play in the greening of energy systems in developing economies? The authors provide a new understanding of how green transformation and sustainable industrialisation can be combined, highlighting the opportunities and constraints for local capability building and the scope for local policy action. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of development studies, energy studies, sustainability and sustainable development, as well as practitioners and policy makers working in development organisations and national governments

Analysing the Development Implications of Technological Innovations from China to SSA economies: A Conceptual Framework

China’s relationship with Africa has grown enormously, especially in the last two decades. From trade to foreign direct investment and official development assistance to migration, there are many myths surrounding the relationship between China and Africa, some of which are being dispelled through research. However, the academic community is still at an early stage in researching this evolving relationship and its impact on Africa economies. A significant gap remains in the literature in the area of technology transfer from China to African economies and developing countries in general. This paper seeks to present a literature review on various issues on technology, developing a conceptual framework that will guide future research in analysing the impact of technology transfer from China on recipient developing countries as well as informing policy

Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on bloomsburycollections.com. Continuation along current development pathways is not sustainable. Available technology and production practices and the consumption patterns of modern societies are leading to global warming and ecological destruction. Business as usual is not an option. There is an urgent need to find a new development paradigm that ensures environmental sustainability while managing to provide, now and in the future, a decent livelihood for all of humankind. In Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development, experts in the area provide a variety of insights about the technical transformation needed for sustainable development. It spells out the behavioural and policy changes that would need to accompany the next technological transformation, taking into account the complexity of inducing technological change in the energy and agricultural sectors. The assessment suggests that this will require major, but doable improvements in national innovation systems and major, but affordable shifts in investment patterns and related macroeconomic adjustments

Factors constraining and enabling the adoption of a disruptive technology by African small, micro, and medium enterprises for the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The case of mobile money

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is set to disrupt existing economic and social structures through the use of cyber-physical systems that result from a fusion of the digital, biological, and physical spheres. The fifth and current long wave of innovation is going through such a digital revolution in the ongoing deployment period which is being driven by the generalpurpose technologies of Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things, among other cyberphysical systems. The impact of mobile money in the access of financial services has shown how disruptive incremental innovations in mobile and digital technologies can be. The transformational power of mobile money in financial access is due to its use as an accessible financial tool that utilizes mobile devices to send and/or receive money over great distances. With the 4IR looming, this thesis determines the factors that enable and constrain the adoption of a disruptive technology amongst Sub-Saharan African small, micro, and medium enterprises (SMMEs). Therefore, due to its impact on financial inclusion and the formalization of SMMEs, mobile money is used as an indicator for the adoption of 4IR disruptive digital technologies. The adoption of mobile money was evaluated using secondary data from a survey conducted by Research ICT Africa, which surveyed 4408 SMMEs in nine African countries. The Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) model and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model were used to identify the factors enabling and constraining the adoption of a disruptive technology, in this case mobile money. Factors included gender, vocational training, business skills training, tertiary education, services, performance expectancy, social media, location, and nine African countries (Kenya, Mozambique, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Senegal). The factors were grouped into owner characteristics, firm attributes and country attributes. SMME owners with business skills (49%) showed the highest level of adoption in terms of owner characteristics, Kenyan SMMEs (21%) had the highest adoption between the countries surveyed, and social media (62%) showed the highest adoption in terms of firm attributes followed by the formal variable (47%). In general, only 29% of SMMEs surveyed adopted mobile money. The study found that women SMME owners were more likely to be affected by business formality when adopting a disruptive technology compared to male owned SMMEs. This is because informality often exacerbates other barriers/challenges women face such as lower access to finance, lower ability to exercise property, business, and labour rights, and lower visibility. The results also demonstrate that vocational training is more important than general tertiary education for the ii adoption of a disruptive technology such as mobile money. Furthermore, when using social media as a tool for business advice SMME owners were more likely to adopt the disruptive technology. The study suggests that to encourage African SMMEs to adequately adopt disruptive technologies of the 4IR, more women owned SMMEs need to enter the formal economy, and vocational training targeted at business skills must be promoted amongst all SMME owners. Eastern African SMMEs were found to be more likely to adopt mobile money compared to other African regions. The finding demonstrates the need for more African countries (particularly outside of the Eastern African region) to encourage innovation by addressing the four enablers of mobile connectivity (i.e. infrastructure, affordability, consumer readiness, and mobile services) which will in effect lead to economic growth and development. The study shows that to address country/regional differences, in addition to building the required infrastructure in terms of mobile internet connectivity, countries should increase the local relevancy of disruptive technologies between SMMEs. To achieve this the study suggests increasing mobile social media penetration rates. This is because when social media is used as a tool for business advice SMME owners are more likely to adopt a disruptive technology (as is the case with mobile money) due to the social influence of social media.Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 202

Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on bloomsburycollections.com. Continuation along current development pathways is not sustainable. Available technology and production practices and the consumption patterns of modern societies are leading to global warming and ecological destruction. Business as usual is not an option. There is an urgent need to find a new development paradigm that ensures environmental sustainability while managing to provide, now and in the future, a decent livelihood for all of humankind. In Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development, experts in the area provide a variety of insights about the technical transformation needed for sustainable development. It spells out the behavioural and policy changes that would need to accompany the next technological transformation, taking into account the complexity of inducing technological change in the energy and agricultural sectors. The assessment suggests that this will require major, but doable improvements in national innovation systems and major, but affordable shifts in investment patterns and related macroeconomic adjustments