Presentation by Dr. Anne Kingiri of ACTS during a training on The Art of Influencing Policy Change: tools and strategies for researchers, held by The Scinnovent Centre on 12th -14th February 2013, in Nairobi

1. African Network for Learning, Innovation
and Competence building Systems
(AfricaLics)
Ann Kingiri
African Centre for Technology Studies
Training workshop on -The Art of
Influencing Policy Change
Karen
12 02 13

2. Outline
• Introducing Africalics
• Context for Africalics & response
• Conclusion: some questions to elicit
discussion

3. About AfricaLics
Background
• The Global Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and
Competence Building Systems (Globelics) bringing diverse
community of scholars working on innovation and competence
building in the context of economic development.
– Has been in existence for about 10 yrs
• provides a global platform of collaboration for researchers,
practitioners and policy makers who see innovation and
competence building as being at the heart of the economic
development process
• Some of the ideas and concepts within Globelics are informed by
specific experiences in the North and cannot be used as universal
template models. This led to:
– formation of several regional networks (AsiaLics and a Latin
americaLics, CICALics , RussianLics and IndiaLics) as self-
organised networks of researchers living and working in these
regions
– Consequently, Africalics was launched in Dar-es-salaam in March,
2012

4. Why Africalics?
• Formation of AfricaLics was centred on:
– understanding STI in Africa from a
theoretical and practical perspective
• The development of research infrastructure, training,
evidence-based policy and capacity building on STI was
identified as a key agenda towards achieving this goal
– The need to respond to context specific
challenges that impact STI potential to harness
Africa’s economic development (discussed
next)

5. Emergence of Africalics in the current context of Africa’s STI &
Africalics response
1. Inadequacy of expertise for STI policy research and analysis in
Africa
• Leads to seeking for advice and expertise from the more developed countries often
have little knowledge of the African contexts
• This can be unsustainable and expensive
Response:
• Africalics brings together a group of established scholars, policy
makers & practitioners with experience and understanding of
STI in Africa
• Identify and support champions to drive certain activities across
network members
• Facilitate capacity building activities (PhD, Msc, Bachelors
scholars, policy makers, NGOs & other practitioners)

6. Context & Response
2. The research community around STI in Africa remains
scattered and social capital among this community is
still very low.
Response:
• Africalics aspires to become a network of scholars, policymakers
and practitioners strongly rooted in African institutions
• initiate and coordinate efforts and capitalise on ongoing
partnerships
• establish meaningful collaborations becoming a network of
networks that harnesses and consolidates the minimum base
for STI research and policy making identified in the region.
• create synergies with other regional networks thus promotes
South-South and North-South-North collaborations.

7. Context & Response
3. The analytical frameworks traditionally used to study STI need to better take
into account the realities of Africa’s economic development
– existing frameworks have missed the performance of economic
structures characterized by a specialization in agriculture, mining and
services
– a strong intertwining of formal and informal economic activities
• There is a need for research approaches which are cognisant of the
African context.
Response:
• The innovation systems (IS) seems somewhat inappropriate to inform STI
policies in poor countries. Africalics proposes to expand the scope and
analytical tools of current mainstream innovation systems.
• There is ample space for research on issues related to inclusion and exclusion,
innovation as problem-solving including grass-roots or below the radar
innovations
– Interaction with other regional networks will bring opportunities to learn about
these issues from other developing countries

8. Context & Response
4. Policy making in STI in Africa is poorly
informed by research
Response:
• Africalics aspires to connect research to the demand
for research ensuring that pursued activities respond
to African needs
• The network intends to build dialogues between the
growing academic community in the STI field,
policymakers and practitioners in the region towards
addressing some of the context specific development
challenges in the region

9. Context & Response
5. Financial commitments in support of STI activities remain
considerably low in Africa
We take note of the growing discourse and aspirations of African governments for the use
of STI as key driver of economic growth and social and economic progress
– Insufficient funding from local sources means an over-reliance
on external resources
• This has consequences e.g. uneven opportunities for collaborations that benefit
African researchers, limited attention on issues that reflect the needs of the
region like social exclusion
Response
• Put emphasis on engaging national governments, practitioners and
private sector
• Africalics will seek to generate research and other capacity building
activities that respond to specific needs particularly for policy making
– It is hoped that connecting with potential beneficiaries will attract investment
in STI

10. Context & Response
6. Research agendas in Africa tend to reflect the interests and
mandates of development agencies, often insufficiently aligned
with local realities
– this is a consequence of the inadequate funding, insuficient capacities for
research and policy making in STI, limited collaboration among the nascent
community of scholar that are emerging in this field.
Response
• will harness resources to map out research needs accross Africa
• provide a platform for collaboration and exchange of ideas amongst African
scholars, practitioners and policy makers
• It will focuses on the importance of developing STI research capacity in Africa
with strong links to users – including policy makers, private sector and
communities
• support for the promotion of participatory research practices (i.e providing
training and guidelines on research practices that engage the researcher with
the community).

11. Suggested themes for STIP research for Africalics
Innovation Innovation &
Innovation and Sectoral Governance of
systems in Global Micro-studies
social inclusion studies STI
Africa challenges
(a) Innovation (a) Emergence (a)Innovation in (a)Evidence- (a) Climate (a) SMMEs
in the informal& agricultural based change
sector transformation sector innovation (b) Adoption
of Innovation policy making (b) Waste and
(b) Medicinal in Africa
(b) Gender and systems in management in appropriation
plants and
STI Africa Africa of technology
health (b) STI by the urban
(c) Innovation (b) Urban Local indicators (c) Green small firms
(c)
for poverty Economic energy
Infrastructure (c) Political
reduction Development (c)Grassroots
Economy of
(d) Resource- (d) Pollution innovation
Innovation
(d) Innovation (c) University- based sectors management in
in healthcare industry- and Africa
(d) Legal
systems society diversification frameworks &
linkages
IPRs
(e) ICTs (Traditional
(d) Public
Knowledge )
Understanding (f) Green
of STI industries

12. Suggested umbrella research programmes & projects
• Programme with projects on sectoral patterns of
capability building and innovation in Africa.-targeting
important sectors such as: environment, biotechnology &
agriculture, bio-energy, solar energy, software, ICT
infrastructure, nanotechnology and materials, water,
health systems & delivery of inclusive health, mining, oil,
etc.
• Programme for surveying STI activities in all regions of
Africa at various levels of analysis on STI to create a
complete data bank.
• Programme for exploring the opportunity of building
systems of innovation and policy learning initiatives on
the basis of the current African Union, the NEPAD and
other regional economic communities (RECS).

13. Ongoing/planned AfricaLics activities
• The Africalics Academies at rotational basis (Kenya in Nov 2012 for
Anglophones & Algiers in 2013 for Francophones)
• Journals linked to Globelics but focusing on Africa:
– Journal African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and
Development (AJSTID) www.ajstid.com
– Ethiopian e-Journal for Research and Innovation Foresight (Ee-JRIF)
www.nesglobal.org/eejrif4
– Others....
• AfricaLics Conferences (resources for journals/publications etc) –
Globelics 2014 will be in Africa
• Link to other networks e.g. African Network for Solar Energy-
www.ansole.org
• There is room for linking these up with other on-going intiatives
(AU, Nepad, EAC, Ecowas, SADEC etc)
 These need to re-enforce each other

14. Selected regional networks
platforms looking at STIP Research (more of SSA)
• African Union, Department of Human Resources, Sciences and Technology
• African Ministerial Council of Science and Technology (AMCOST)-(previously
NEPAD, Office of Science and Technology) - providing support for
implementation of Africa’s Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of
Action (CPA)
– CPA was elaborated to focus on specific flag ship projects and concrete
actions
• African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), for advancement of economic
policy research and training
• African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) - promotes science,
technology and innovation (STI) policy research, dialogue and practice
• Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Research Organization (STIPRO);
previously ATPS – Tanzania --for policy research in science, technology and
innovation (STI)
• African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) – promotes STI policy research
and advocacy
• Bio-resources Innovations Network for Eastern Africa Development (Bio-
Innovate) Program- funds multi-disciplinary biosciences and product oriented
innovation activities in the EA.

15. Regional Networks cont’d
• Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) - an
independent pan-African research organisation primarily focusing on social
sciences research in Africa
• Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) - It plays advocacy and
coordination roles for agricultural research for development in conjunction with
NARS, ARIs and IARCs.
• Inter University Council of East Africa (IUCEA) - Coordinate inter-university
cooperation in East Africa to promote internationally comparable higher education
standards and systems for sustainable regional development.
• Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) – a
consortium of universities that aims to strengthen the capacities of researchers to
foster innovations responsive to demands of small-holder farmers.
• Organisation for social science research in Africa (OSSREA) -promote dialogue and
interaction between researchers and policy-makers in Eastern and Southern Africa
with a view to enhancing the impact of research on policy-making and
development planning
• Pan African Competitiveness Forum (PACF) - established in response to the need
for Africa to be relevant in the contemporary globalized economy

16. Regional Networks cont’d
• Southern African regional Universities Association
(SARUA) – aim to revitalise and develop leadership and
institutions of higher education in the southern African region
towards enabling the regional higher education to respond to
the developmental challenges facing the region.
• UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) -The
ICT, Science and Technology Division (ISTD),- strengthen the
capacity for the development and the use of information and
knowledge systems, as support tools for decision-making and
for socio-economic development .
• Western Indian Ocean Marine Sciences Association
(WIOMSA) - supports marine research and promote policy
dialogue on policy implications of science

17. Other initiatives?
• Over 10 African Science Academies & their role in
STIP related research?
– Capacity building thro’ the African Science Academy
Development Initiative (ASADI) – aim to eventually
become trusted sources of excellent evidence-based
policy advice.
• Respective Ministries and departments looking at
STI from an integrated approach- e.g. of
milestones, STI policies providing for
implementing agencies
– To what extent are these initiatives promoting STIP
research? Too early to tell.... ?

18. Envisaged Impact
• Establishment of AfricaLics as an open network for developers &
users of knowledge made sustainable by local support
• Affect the STI & P research agenda locally in view of available
expertise (exploring the new research ideas, projects, networks
etc?)
• Exploiting of synergies globally and regionally (local versus global)
• Dissemination and sharing of knowledge - better access to
resources including publications both as users and producers
• Build research capacity in Africa with strong links to users
– Policy makers and private sector consequently impacting the policy agenda
at national levels
– Annual conferences and Academies – the Globelics conference 2014 in
Africa and African Academies etc
– Ph.D and Masters students at global and regional academies
– Mentoring schemes

19. Summing up questions
In order to enhance STI research in Africa:
• How can knowledge platforms like Africalics become
organic sources of innovation and development?
• How can we make positive use of the presence of
global/regional experts as a source of capacity
building?
• How can we tap productively from Global & regional
research/policy networks?
• How can we combine social inclusion and
sustainability with innovation driven development?
• How can we use engineers as enterpreneurs and
engineering as bridge between science and business?

20. Summing up questions
• How can Africalics stimulate a vibrant/robust STI&P
research community as well as capacity building?
• How can we avoid the danger of Africalics becoming a
normative platform for experimentation as opposed to
being a source of multiple types of knowledge
commensurate with levels of expertise & demand for
knowledge?
• In addition to building research capacity and
competence buiding; how can we go further to translate
the accruing knowledge into impact (economic, social &
environment etc)?

21. Africalics mode of operation
An informal structure –scientific board
members of the scientific board
• Abdelkader Djeflat
• Ann Kingiri Secretariat
• Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka
• Bengt-Åke Lundvall
• Bitrina Diyamett Chair of the Board
• Boladale Adebowale
• David Kaplan Chair to the Research Training Committee
• Erika Kraemer-Mbula Secretary to Research Training Committee
• Alex O. Vera-Cruz
• Mammo Muchie
• Martin Bell
• Rasigan Maharaj
• Rasmus Lema
• Thomas Kjellqvist
• Watu Wamae

22. • Thank you for your attention
– For more information about Africalics, visit;
• www.globelics.org (soon launching Africalics website)
• Be on the look out for calls for Africalics Academy
schools/Conferences etc