STI policy and governance in Sub-Saharan Africa: Fostering actors’ interactions in research and innovation

Remy Twiringiyimana,Joanna Chataway,Chux Daniels

doi:10.1177/09504222211026218

Remy Twiringiyimana, Joanna Chataway + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222211026218

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Abstract

This study investigates science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy and governance in relation to research and innovation (R&I) ecosystems in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). To understand the implications of STI policy and governance on R&I, the authors focus on university, industry and government actors; using the Triple Helix and National Systems of Innovation approaches as analytical frameworks to guide the study. The authors identify a range of factors hindering R&I actors’ interactions, including gaps in STI governance responsibilities and accountabilities, policymaking and structural transitions, R&I management capacity and capability gaps. Based on the findings, they propose changes to policymaking and the governance of R&I in SSA, in addition to advancing innovative approaches such as ‘resource circulation’ in the context of knowledge, research and science infrastructure scarcity. The findings provide fresh insights into STI policy and governance frameworks, fostering actors’ interactions and supporting performance improvements in research, science and innovation systems across Africa.

Highlights

This study investigates science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy and governance in relation to research and innovation (R&I) ecosystems in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
We explore some of the reasons why, despite progress discussed in preceding sections – in STI policy, governance and actors’ interactions in Rwanda and South Africa – the challenge of weak interactions among R&I actors and the broader STI ecosystem persists
We explore questions pertaining to the persistently weak interactions in SSA among R&I actors despite STI policy, governance and structural adjustments

Summary

Introduction

This study investigates science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy and governance in relation to research and innovation (R&I) ecosystems in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Technology and innovation (STI) play a central role in national, regional and global social and economic development This role has been more explicitly acknowledged since the second half of the 20th century. In addition to weaknesses in interactions among STI ecosystem actors, evidence shows that STI policies and regulations in SSA, which to a large extent are formulated with the frameworks of the Triple Helix (TH) of universities, industry, and government (U-I-G) (Etzkowitz, 1996; Ranga and Etzkowitz, 2013) and National Systems of Innovation (NSI) (Freeman, 1987; Lundvall, 1992; Nelson, 1993), do not necessarily correlate with the context (Arocena et al, 2017; Diyamett et al, 2019). There is a need to investigate and better understand STI policies and their relationship with research and innovation (R&I) and the governance of R&I in SSA countries

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