That's a very good tweak, Connie! I think broadening our understanding of what a partnership could involve, opens the way for a lot of creativity!
Just in case, the IPA competition is still open and the closing date is November 30th http://innovationprizeforafrica.org/ . Would appreciate it if you could help us spread the world. The Prize is USD 150'000. Thanks
Well - that brings us to the end of this live segment. Thanks everyone for joining. A big thanks to our great panel, and to Pauline for posting this discussion.
If you'd like to read more about the issues discussed here, check out Pauline's blogs:
- Innovation Prize for Africa: Why We Invest in African Ingenuity
- Why Does Africa Need Innovation?
- Public-Private Sector Partnership is Vital to African Innovation
Also be sure to check out the LIONS@FRICA Partnership at www.africa.co
You can find more stories on Africa in our Africa Hub.
1. Foreign development investors should fully allow and support the failure of Africa's emerging Entrepreneurs.
2. There is a need to commit resources towards collaborative innovation # Creation of 'Innoversity' hubs.
Africa is producing an ever increasing number of University and College graduates, whose capacity is wasted each year.
As an African and UK based Social Entrepreneur, we have been seeking support to develop and establish a potentially replicable model for INNOVERSITY CENTRES for design, social enterprise and innovation with a particular focus on benefitting the health and cultural sectors, piloting in 'extremely' challenged countries like Zimbabwe, where I was also born.
In partnership with Universities and Technical Colleges, the idea of 'Innoversity' brings together researchers, academics and postgraduate students from design, business, engineering and social science to tackle real-life socio-economic and business challenges.
The aim of the facility is to break down the barriers between different subject areas to allow new products to be invented and creative business strategies developed. The centre then enables collaboration to take place between design (human values), business (viability) and technology (feasibility).
Consisting of up to four people, the Innoversity Teams will bring together local and diaspora based Master and research students, faculty staff and researchers from design, business, engineering and social science. They will use a range of techniques including brainstorming and prototype development. The first projects of the two-year initiative will be designed within the University but, in the longer term, briefs will be generated by external companies.
I would love to hear 1. 2. 3. Itemized things which can drive change. What members are proposing are all good ideas. But this is the same old story we have had for some years. In all the context we know Africa is still grappling with, what exactly can work in this context.
What I buy is that Africa sell less with Africa. If this can be fixed, then a lot can change. But how to do you go about this? The "how" is our biggest problem not the "what". I am so sure everyone knows the "what" and that's where we are stack. Can this discussion drive us forward!! If it does, I will be so happy.
The point that it can unhelpful to debate Africa as though it were a single country. There are of course areas of commonality. For instance the real question it seems to me is to what do we attribute Africa's failure to return its resources for its own use. That Africa is prodigiously wealthy is beyond argument, yet, most Africans are mired in poverty. We do not need funds, we need to examine why we are haemorrhaging them into others' coffers. And we deceive ourselves with talk of leapfrogging the West. It is in the West that these innovations are conceived, we can learn from that, but, telling ourselves that we are a long way on a journey we have barely begun, blinds us to the task ahead.
If there is one answer to all these questions is self awareness, and self regard. We should remember that with few exceptions, entrepreneurship is a bi-product. Without peace, stability, good governance, in otherwords, decent political systems, we are whistling in the wind. Above all we need education and training, training, training. We need transfer of knoweledge and expertise. Our young are dying to know, to learn to train, but, no where to do it. Do all that, and entrepreneurship will follow automatically. Fail to do that, and while you will get individual entrepreneurial successes, they will be like a flower in an otherwise barren landscape.
My personal opinion starts from the fact that Africa has a seriously growing population that if not properly nutured can be disastrous. We must do our best to accept innovations which is something most of the elders in Africa are not use too, most of the time they prefer to stick to the norms (“if it aint broke, don’t try to fix it.”). Then we need to show our support for African innovations by inspiring, motivating and funding projects and products that are creative and innovative and also provide solutions to the African continent. Africa needs to relax some of its travel policies especially if it has to do with trading of foods and services within Africa by Africans so the young generation can enjoy the aboundant oppurtunities in different regions. The EU has its challenges but the good that comes out of the EU makes a lot of sense. Reverse innovation is something we must look into and intentionally work on. Africa can move from the concept of “value for money to value for money”. Political leaders can be tasked to support African innovations but the private and public sector has the bulk of the work to do. The time to make it happen is NOW! The future of Africa begins NOW. “if you want to get shade from a tree tomorrow you must plant a seed today.”
Some corrections please.
Africa needs to relax some of its travel policies especially if it has to do with trading of goods and services within Africa by Africans so the young generation can enjoy the aboundant oppurtunities in different regions. The EU has its challenges but the good that comes out of the EU makes a lot of sense. Reverse innovation is something we must look into and intentionally work on. Africa can move from the concept of “value for money to value for many”.
ReaGilè Community Cinema Project has the ability to create 35 thousand sustainable jobs, provide access to entertainment, edutainment, safety, security and computer/internet access in townships and rural areas in South Africa, while providing a massive new market for the film industry.
The project is also going to be rolled out in Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Nigeria with similar effect.
See www.facebook.com/TheVillageReagile and ReaGileCinema on Facebook.
My input to the discussion is about Funding of Innovative ideas in Africa.There are several initiatives that support innovative ideas in East Africa and I have the privilige of managing two of them.The first is known as TradeMark East Africa Challenge Fund(TRAC).It provides grants to firms,private sector and civil society organisations that have innovative trade projects that can boost regional trade in the East African Community and the regions trade with the rest of the world.The grants which range from US$250,000 to US$350,000 per project are awarded competitively under 3 windows.Window one is on Business innovation that will increase trade.Window 2 is on Catalysing innovation in services that enable cross border trade and Window 3 is on Innovative ways of gathering evidence and mobilising public opinion for reforms that will lead to greater trade and regional integration.The Funding windows are now open upto 18th December 2013.More details on the Fund and how to apply is on WWW.TRAC-FUND.COM.The second Fund is called Logistics Innovation For Trade(LIFT).LIFT provides grants which are upto US$500,000 per project to firms that employ innovative and transformative technologies that will lead to improved efficiency of the logistics and transport sector throughout East Africa.The Funding window will be opened by the end of November 2013.More information can be obtained on WWW.TRAC-FUND.COM/LIFT.An information booklet is also uploaded here.
In both Funds,our contribution is in the form of a matching grant where the Firm is expected to contribute 50% of the total cost of the project.
277-LIFTBookletv4.pdf (2.32 MB)CNBC Africa - "Innovate Africa" - A platform for African Innovation for Africa
According to the Southern African Innovation Network, South African inventors have a lot to be proud of. Some of these ingenious creations have appeared in magazines, via online education platforms or on television documentaries. Innovate Africa will showcase a wide range of topics that will uncover some of the hidden innovative projects aimed at releasing untapped potential in Africa.
“These brilliant people have indirectly touched the lives of so many, both at home and across the globe,” says CNBC Africa chief editor, Godfrey Mutizwa. “Innovate Africa focuses on Africa specific technology innovations and inventions, highlighting Africa’s technology success stories.” This episode highlights Africa's inventive spirit and looks at solutions to some of Africa’s greatest challenges.
How do you think then that Africa should be innovating or promoting innovation, because we have seen governments as you note Rwanda improve in the doing business ranking but private sector growth is still low and the the young people are still very dependant on government for handouts to make anything work, on the other hand Uganda, with so many hardships, it seems though the private sector is growing rapidly and getting into the provision of services though most of them merely copy cats rather than innovations and those trying to innovate face the challenge of financing, to start, to grow and to scale.
Sorry for the delayed reply. Let’s follow up offline.
IBM recently a Research lab in Kenya - it will focus on solutions that apply IT to critical issues in Africa, including agriculture, water, transport management among others
IBM Research Africa - 'Why Are We Here?': http://ow.ly/qzFeB #IBMResearchAfrica
African solutions for African problems. Africa is Now is about showcasing the continent’s creativity – not just in terms of aesthetics, but also in terms of innovation and ingenuity. It’s about asking questions: What are some of the characteristics that make African cities unique, and how should we be designing for them? In manifesting this idea Design Indaba Expo 2014 will present a ground breaking exhibition of African design, creativity and innovation. Every day, people move to African cities, looking for work and better life, thus driving the continent to experience the world’s highest urbanisation rate. This massive exodus process has led to a serious housing crisis in Africa’s urban areas, and is sometimes fuelling unsocial unrest. The basic needs of life as Maslow puts it is – Food and Shelter. With moladi the tool is created to provide jobs producing homes by deskilling the construction process. Design Indaba will feature moladi in a large exhibition called "Africa is Now"
Africa is Now will be a large-scale exhibition that will anchor Design Indaba Expo. It will be an up-to-the-minute survey of emerging, established and unexpected talent from across the continent. The project will showcase African ingenuity in finding solutions to its own problems, using local materials wherever possible.
The exhibit will also speak to one of the four themes of Cape Town’s programme for World Design Capital 2014: “African Innovation, Global Conversation - African ideas that speak to the world” by showcasing creations of exemplary ingenuity that are intrinsically connected to their locale in Africa.
More info about - World Design Capital - Cape Town 2014
More info about - Design Indaba
More info about - moladi
Africa has a long history of innovation and as you rightly said at the beginning the issue is funding not lack of ideas.
Imagine before 100 years we knew how to preserve food for days especially milk without fridge in Somalia and it rarely got spoiled. How we used to do it was simple " drying containers - by smoke - !!!!!!! Imagine smoke drying kills all bacteria, fungi etc.. and what else these containers were all wooden home-made or woven from threads of tree branches In some parts of the country they still use these old milk / food preservation methods.
"On the 2nd question "How can we promote innovation" This was included in my MBA dissertation, we need to disseminate African "old skills" as new models how we used survive under harsh conditions - let us ask our elders and innovate the answers they give. Lets encourage giving contracts to local skilled workforce instead of importing tools / materials from outside because it is ready and could be easily utilized. As an example if we want to give "tenders" in providing millions of "School uniforms" give contracts to hundreds of local tailors sharing your specifications and ask them not to compete but rather to collaborate because each one has contract and you need to see as common challenge. 1st year there might be hiccups , but after few years it will be mastered locally. Why do we import from India / China when we have the competent labor force? Is it because of technology we need to learn instead of selecting the easy options.
Hello Fellows and Friends:
We established the Regional Sustainable Energy Center of Excellence (RSECE) in Nigeria for Sub Sahara Africa. It is what has been called a Type Two Partnership of Government, Non profits (university and Tax Exempts) as well as For profit businesses. We have an Internet site with details on this Consortium. www.rsece.org
Everything is on the table. Cooperation, Collaborations are developed. We favor Energy and Water developments for sustainable development infrastructure. Now we are working on a Power Purchase Agreement for a Fortune 500 (USA) company to invest and may I say we anticipate quite a project as a follow on. We do see many downstream business opportunities that will create jobs for local indigenous people. We support activities such as Youth Vocational Training as a follow on to the Millennium Development Goal of Basic Education for All. I have favored the Triple Bottom Lines that measure a better balance of benefits to the Planet, People and a Profit for true sustainable activity beyond a grant or donations. Business Fights Poverty and the triple bottom lines all need to be healthy for the longer term.
Hi Celia,
Regarding your comment, are you working for IBM research. If yes, I would love to connect and explore ways we could collaborate. Thanks.
Best regards,
Pauline