Is innovation changing the lives of Africans?
Greetings,
We are living through both interesting and challenging times. The world order is changing. The veil is, to an extent, being lifted. I suspect that generations to come will look back on this time in humanity’s history as one that planted the seeds for the world they live in. As to what that will look like, no-one knows. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren may look back with admiration and gratitude, or with anger and disappointment. We each have a part to play in how things will play out, however big or small that part may be.
In June 2014, the 23rd Ordinary Session of African Union Heads of State and Government Summit adopted a 10-year “On the Wings of Innovation”, the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2015 - 2024 (STISA-2024). In the Foreword, Dr. Martial De-Paul Ikounga, Commissioner for Human Resources, Science & Technology, Africa Union Commission, wrote, “The strategy is part of the long-term people centered AU Agenda 2063 which is underpinned by science, technology and innovation as multi-function tools and enablers for achieving continental development goals.”
In September 2024, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) launched the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024 and went further by highlighting the Rise of Top-Notch African Innovation Clusters. By showing how and where innovation is happening across the continent, it does also give us an opportunity to identify the gaps and direct our attention a bit more deliberately.
This year is the 11th anniversary of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation which bills itself as “Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation” and “awards commercialisation support to African innovators developing scalable engineering solutions to local challenges. These innovations show the importance of engineering in improving quality of life and economic development.”
For the 2025 prize, 16 African innovators from seven countries, namely Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Togo.
The innovations include, “life-saving maternal and neonatal devices allowing at-risk pregnant mothers and their babies to reach health facilities safely from remote areas, as well as transformative smart agritech, upcycling and hybrid green energy solutions, and groundbreaking AI tools to support greater inclusivity for the hearing impaired. Innovative materials such as new packaging technology inspired by human skin are used for electricity-free cold storage, clean cooking gas and furniture are made from waste plastic, and disposable plates from agricultural waste (maize husks)”.
According to the South African Cities Network, “In 2022, one in five people in South African cities now live in informality and this is only expected to increase.”
And, according to UN Stats, “The proportion of the urban population living in slums worldwide declined by 20 per cent between 2000 and 2014 (from 28 per cent to 23 per cent). That positive trend recently reversed course, and the proportion grew to 23.5 per cent in 2018. The absolute number of people living in slums or informal settlements grew to over 1 billion, with 80 per cent attributed to three regions: Eastern and South- Eastern Asia (370 million), sub-Saharan Africa (238 million) and Central and Southern Asia (227 million).”
If we want achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (11) of Sustainable Cities and Communities - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, we are going to have to be both deliberate and innovation. Urban Think Tank Empower’s Empower Upgrade model for housing is a step in the right direction. Urban Think Tank Empower is looking at how to redefine what public housing in South Africa’s informal settlements looks like.
Over the years, there are been multiple articles, documentaries and studies done around waste in Africa, for example, Africa must tell the rest of the world that we are not their dumping ground. There are some interesting discussions - and opposing viewpoints - on how to deal with this waste. One route, considering the energy challenges that many countries on the continent face, is the development of waste-to-energy facilities. The question being asked is should Africa burn its waste to generate power?
Recently, AI Hub for Sustainable Development was launched as “a collaborative initiative accelerating sustainable AI-driven industrial growth in Africa.” At present, according to the UNDP, only five percent of Africa’s AI talent has the compute power it needs. Against this backdrop, it was announced that the first artificial intelligence factory is to be built in South Africa by Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa’s Cassava Technologies in partnership the American artificial intelligence computing multinational, Nvidia. What you need to know about Africa’s first AI factory.
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Until next time
Kojo