Agribusiness innovation: A pathway to sustainable economic growth in Africa

The paper considers the factors that drive a strong and competitive agri-business sector with particular attention to investment in research and development (R&D) for technological innovation as well as the broader drivers and risk factors of influence. It develops a case study and in particular contrasts the very successful value chain in Thailand with the weak one in Nigeria in order to highlight the implications for Nigerian government policy if it wishes to exploit the potential for a strong cassava agri-business sector

The era of sustainable agricultural development in Africa: Understanding the benefits and constraints

Sustainable agriculture has the potential to address some of the fundamental challenges facing agricultural practices in Africa especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The agriculture sector plays an important role as the engine of economic growth in SSA. In this paper, we ask the following key question: can sustainable agriculture save Africa from poverty and food insecurity? To address this fundamental question, we examine and critique evidence of the benefits and challenges associated with the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in Africa. Improving agricultural sustainability is fundamental to food security and poverty reduction, particularly in achieving elements of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030, but it will not solve all these problems alone. In consort, African governments and the international community must increase their efforts in tackling problems such as conflicts, civil war, political instability, and disease. Therefore agricultural policy at the national, regional and local levels and institutional reforms must be designed to benefit food security, poverty reduction and income growth at the household level

Conclusions and Future Policies for Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals

The final chapter reviews contributions from throughout this book, drawing out common themes, differences, and key lessons. Previous studies indicate the potential role of science, technology, and innovation (STI) in tackling global challenges, yet in many developing countries, little attention is paid to harnessing STI in addressing these problems. The global development agenda, including the millennium development goals (MDGs), often underemphasized the potential for STI contributions, resulting in impacts that fell short of their potential. The chapter and other evidence presented in this book illustrate how a failure to provide the institutions and resources needed to build STI capacity, and a failure of key actors to engage synergistically, can be serious impediments to development. To conclude, the chapter sets out recommendations based on the insights provided in the earlier chapters

What Can Science, Technology, and Innovation Offer in the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals?

This chapter discusses the many ways that science, technology, and innovation (STI) can bolster the global agenda of the United Nations (UN) toward meeting the sustainable development goals (SDGs). It shows how STI applications can make multiple contributions to the achievement of SDGs. It is particularly important for developing countries to harness STI, while managing resulting trade-offs, to deliver sustainable development effectively. The SDGs simultaneously touch upon environmental, social and economic aspects of development but integrating these aspects into the implementation of the SDGs is challenging for both policymakers and researchers. To meet its SDG targets, the global community must mobilize STI across multiple sectors, support new investments in innovation, and contribute to policy design that addresses a range of barriers

Conclusions and Future Policies for Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals

The final chapter reviews contributions from throughout this book, drawing out common themes, differences, and key lessons. Previous studies indicate the potential role of science, technology, and innovation (STI) in tackling global challenges, yet in many developing countries, little attention is paid to harnessing STI in addressing these problems. The global development agenda, including the millennium development goals (MDGs), often underemphasized the potential for STI contributions, resulting in impacts that fell short of their potential. The chapter and other evidence presented in this book illustrate how a failure to provide the institutions and resources needed to build STI capacity, and a failure of key actors to engage synergistically, can be serious impediments to development. To conclude, the chapter sets out recommendations based on the insights provided in the earlier chapters

What Can Science, Technology, and Innovation Offer in the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals?

This chapter discusses the many ways that science, technology, and innovation (STI) can bolster the global agenda of the United Nations (UN) toward meeting the sustainable development goals (SDGs). It shows how STI applications can make multiple contributions to the achievement of SDGs. It is particularly important for developing countries to harness STI, while managing resulting trade-offs, to deliver sustainable development effectively. The SDGs simultaneously touch upon environmental, social and economic aspects of development but integrating these aspects into the implementation of the SDGs is challenging for both policymakers and researchers. To meet its SDG targets, the global community must mobilize STI across multiple sectors, support new investments in innovation, and contribute to policy design that addresses a range of barriers

A Systemic Perspective on the Global Sanitation Challenge: Insights from Sociotechnical Dynamics in Nairobi's Informal Settlements

The sanitation target of the millennium development goals (MDGs) was not reached and progress toward the sustainable development goal on water and sanitation (SDG6) is very slow. The lack of sanitation is especially persistent in cities in the Global South, as the world is rapidly urbanizing. This problem demands long-term fundamental transformations of urban sanitation services and infrastructures. This chapter analyzes the challenges and opportunities of innovations that have the potential to contribute to solving urban sanitation problems. The authors therefore use a sociotechnical systems perspective that draws on insights from innovation studies and the sustainability transitions literature. Such a systemic perspective enables the analysis of the interplay between technologies, infrastructures and their associated actor networks, and institutions and user and provider practices. The chapter presents the analysis of the case of sanitation in Nairobi, Kenya, building on qualitative data from 104 expert interviews. Based on the analysis, the authors show that innovative efforts should focus on improving alignments between the various sanitation service regimes in the city—for example, through making utility services work in informal settlements or improving collaborations in the efforts to scale on-site sanitation innovations. The chapter illustrates how factors hindering innovation development toward reaching SDG6 often go beyond technological aspects, but rather represent system weaknesses related to actors, networks, and institutional aspects

Anti-Malarial Drug Development and Diffusion in an Era of Multidrug Resistance: How Can an Integrated Health Framework Contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 3?

The ability to ensure healthy lives and well-being (SDG3, healthy lives) is dependent on accessible and affordable healthcare for everyone in need. However, people in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) often lack access to health interventions such as innovative medicines to treat medical needs. This chapter develops a sustainable drug development and diffusion framework for LMICs. The framework is applied to evaluate a global health threat that challenges the achievement of SDG3 targets: the emergence of multidrug resistance to anti-malarial medicines. Malaria is a poverty-related infectious disease that is caused by parasites and transmitted through mosquitos. Malaria is well treatable and effective drugs do exist, but they often fail to reach the infected patients. These days, the first-line anti-malarial medicines are becoming less effective because of multidrug resistance. This requires urgent and coordinated action at the levels of drug development, diffusion, and utilization. The integrated framework evaluates this emerging health threat by discussing four themes: availability, affordability, accessibility, and acceptability. Moreover, the interdependence between those themes is assessed. Finally, policy implications are proposed to address this global health challenge and to proceed toward a sustainable system of drug development and diffusion in LMICs

Anti-Malarial Drug Development and Diffusion in an Era of Multidrug Resistance: How Can an Integrated Health Framework Contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 3?

The ability to ensure healthy lives and well-being (SDG3, healthy lives) is dependent on accessible and affordable healthcare for everyone in need. However, people in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) often lack access to health interventions such as innovative medicines to treat medical needs. This chapter develops a sustainable drug development and diffusion framework for LMICs. The framework is applied to evaluate a global health threat that challenges the achievement of SDG3 targets: the emergence of multidrug resistance to anti-malarial medicines. Malaria is a poverty-related infectious disease that is caused by parasites and transmitted through mosquitos. Malaria is well treatable and effective drugs do exist, but they often fail to reach the infected patients. These days, the first-line anti-malarial medicines are becoming less effective because of multidrug resistance. This requires urgent and coordinated action at the levels of drug development, diffusion, and utilization. The integrated framework evaluates this emerging health threat by discussing four themes: availability, affordability, accessibility, and acceptability. Moreover, the interdependence between those themes is assessed. Finally, policy implications are proposed to address this global health challenge and to proceed toward a sustainable system of drug development and diffusion in LMICs

Adsorption performance of zinc semiconductor nanoparticles in tetracycline removal

Zinc semiconductor nanoparticles have been employed as potential adsorbents for the remediation of organic pollutants. However, the influence of its non-metallic components on the adsorption performance of zinc semiconductor nanoparticles is yet to be understood. Herein, using zinc oxide (ZnO) and zinc chalcogenide (ZnS) as adsorbents, we demonstrated the effect of O and S constituents on the adsorption performance of zinc semiconductor nanoparticles. The morphology, crystallinity, surface area, thermal stability, and the functionals group of both samples were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Resonance Spectroscopy (FT-IR), respectively. Although the surface area of ZnS was observed to be 26 times that of ZnO, the Langmuir adsorption capacity for (TC) of the latter (78.70 mg/g) was significantly higher than the former (47.79 mg/g). The enhanced adsorption performance by ZnO is ascribed to its high porosity and broader point of zero charges (PZC). The present study establishes the impact of S and O on the adsorption performance of zinc nanoparticle adsorbents