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Build R&D capacity and protect Intellectual Property
Africa needs to increase investments in research and development to become more efficient and competitive. Indeed, African governments spend less than 0.5% of GDP on research compared to an average of 2.3% by OECD countries. The talent pool of researchers on the continent is also tiny. According to the 2021 UNESCO Science report, there are only 198 African researchers per million inhabitants, compared to 4,500 per million in the UK and the US, and far below the global average of 1,150 per million. Moreover, the limited investment in R&D has yielded little economic transformation in the structural and new growth sectors. However, we acknowledge that our hope for a better Africa is in the ability of Africans to build for Africans. Therefore, African governments should prioritise R&D investments that focus on new and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, blockchain, robotics, digital manufacturing, and data science to make the region a technology powerhouse in the coming years. The establishment of dedicated technology-research funds and directly supporting research labs in partnership with tech hubs and universities will continue to develop skills and create new job opportunities.
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