KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022
AFR I LABS
Learnings from the Nigerian Innovation Policy Dialogue by AfriLabs and UNDP Accelerator Labs by Amadou Sow (UNDP Accelerator Labs), Serge Ntamack (AfriLabs), Tessy Okolo (AfriLabs), Tayo Akinyemi (UNDP Accelerator Labs) and Joshua Omena .A. (AfriLabs) THE STATE OF THE INNOVATION POLICY ENVIRONMENT IN NIGERIA
Mobilisation and diversification of funding sources. We need more local funding opportunities. Emerging sectors, not just Fintech, need to be supported and focused on, especially in agriculture, healthcare, transportation, trade, real estate and the creative industry. Policy framework and prospects. We need to agree on common objectives and an inclusive policy framework. It should have a bottom-up approach, be geographically aligned, capitalise on assets, and cover small and established actors. The conversations were eye-opening, and the ideas shared could change how innovation is supported and enabled in Nigeria. However, this was the first of several innovation policy dialogues to be hosted by UNDP Accelerator Labs and AfriLabs.
The pilot edition was held online in December 2021 and focused on Nigeria. The conversation attempted to address various issues around innovation policies in the West African country through the eyes of the stakeholders on the ground. It focused on the following priority areas: Innovation and achieving the SDGs. It was highlighted during the conversations that we need to improve how we communicate about the SDGs and what we are doing to achieve them. The conversations emphasised the role of collaboration and aligning of interests between private and public sectors and the need for connecting the national role of the Innovation Support Network (ISN) and the continental role of AfriLabs. Supporting startups’ sustainability. In the words of one of the stakeholders during the dialogue: “The government uses the same hammer that it applies on the big companies, on the startups. They correct the baby with the same method as the adult.” We need to ease bureaucracy for startups and support them with incentives.
PICTURED: Representatives of the UNDP and AfriLabs teams at the AfriLabs secretariat, Abuja, Nigeria
PICTURED: Sharing session between the UNDP team and AfriLabs at the AfriLabs secretariat, Abuja, Nigeria.
countries. Simultaneously, funding for Africa’s startups is at a record high and predicted to go even higher. The role of policy in the recovery and sustainable growth of the innovation economy is crucial and worthy of interrogating conversations. The UNDP Accelerator Labs, through its network of 91 labs covering 115 countries around the world, including 35 in Africa, partnered with AfriLabs, the largest pan-African network of over 370 technology and innovation hubs across 52 African countries and the diaspora. This partnership aims to advance the development agenda in Africa. As a first step towards this objective, the idea of national dialogues on innovation policies was conceived.
It is difficult to inventory policies in Africa, and as a result, we have fragmentation and siloing in policy development, analysis and understanding. This sets the stage for relevant dialogue on our innovation policies. We need to know where we are regarding the progress made in creating a supportive policy environment for startups. According to the World Bank, the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic was predicted to slow growth in Sub-Saharan Africa by -3.3% in 2020, pushing the region into its first recession in 25 years. However, there will be a sluggish and multi- speed recovery with significant variation across
90
91
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker