Africa Up Close

The Role of Science, Technology, and Innovation in Africa’s Growth [1]

Africa’s growth performance remains relatively impressive, growing at 3.3 percent in 2014 up from 3.2 per cent in 2013,[2] driven mainly by improving regional business environment, good governance, sound macroeconomic management, increasing investments in infrastructure, and increasing trade and investment ties with emerging economies .

The success of Asian and Latin American countries in embarking on structural transformation of their economies to significantly uplift living standards of the poor raises several important questions for Africa. First, can Africa draw lessons from these countries? Second, what is the role of industrialization in the process of transformation? Third, how does the global trading system support this transformative agenda? Fourth what roles should agriculture and green economies play in initializing and sustaining transformation?

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