Strengthening innovation measurement in Africa
The AfricaLics Research Coordination Area (RCA) on Africa-Focused Innovation Measurement was established in November 2022 to advance research and collaboration on how innovation is measured across African economies. The initiative aims to build a stronger evidence base for science, technology and innovation (STI) policy by developing research agendas led by African scholars and measurement experts, with input from policymakers.
A central focus of the RCA is improving the measurement of innovation in the informal sector — a critical but often under-recognised component of African economies. To support this work, the initiative has launched the Informal Business Innovation Hub, an online platform that shares research outputs, resources and updates on informal sector innovation research: https://informalbizinnovationhub.hsrc.ac.za/
The RCA is led by the Human Sciences Research Council’s Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII) in South Africa in partnership with the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM) in Nigeria.
The initiative is coordinated by Dr II-haam Petersen, Chief Research Specialist at CeSTII, whose work focuses on innovation networks and new approaches to measuring innovation in informal contexts. The RCA team also includes leading researchers from CeSTII, NACETEM and international partners, bringing together expertise from across the continent to strengthen STI measurement and policy relevance for Africa.
Read more at https://africalics.org/sti-measurement-in-africa/
AfricaLics is the acronym for the African Network for Economics of Learning,
Innovation, and Competence Building Systems.
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