CODIST-11 Workshop on “Promoting Innovative Development and Diffusion in Africa through Open Access Publishing” ECA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2-4 May 2011 By Jacinta Were University of Nairobi, Kenya

 Innovation Concept: Overview  Crucial Questions for Africa  Opportunities for Innovative Development  Challenges  Best Model for Africa  Knowledge Network Initiatives in Africa

Often the word “Innovation” is associated with invention and originality  Innovation simply means creativity in development (improvement, advancement, modernism…)  It is not necessarily composed of radical discoveries  Maximizing on the existing resources

Wikipedia “Innovation relates to renewal or improvement, with novelty being a consequence of this improvement…” Business Dictionary “Defines Innovation as the process by which an idea or invention is translated into a good or service for which people will pay”

◦ Knowledge content of a nation ◦ Ability to manage, access and share that knowledge ◦ Freedom to creative thinking ◦ Enabling environment

 Is Africa fully exploiting her innovative potential  What systems are in place to facilitate access to knowledge  What policies are in place to encourage innovative thinking  What systems are in place to encourage sharing of information

 Tacit Knowledge  Indigenous research output  Mushrooming of Digital Institutional Repositories  Rich Culture

 Constraints  Promising informal industrial sector  Cheap labour  Stable climatic conditions

Though Africa is rich in knowledge and culture, potential innovators are faced with a lot of challenges

 Lack of effective systems to facilitate efficient management and access to knowledge  Lack of efficient systems to facilitate networking and sharing of knowledge  Heavy dependency on foreign ideologies impacts negatively on creative thinking  Prohibiting publishing policies (Peer reviewed!)

 Inappropriate Technology  Enabling Environment (Oppressive outdated policies)  Comfortable weather (too comfortable to be creative

“People are more innovative if given the opportunity to operate in a familiar environment” Dave Tait (2008)

Dave Tait (2008): Innovation in Africa Tips  Innovation often comes from constraint -( If you’ve got very few resources, you’re forced to be very creative in using and re-using them)  Don’t fight culture - (If people cook by stirring their stews, they’re not going to use a solar oven, no matter what you do to market it. Make them a better stove instead)  Embrace market mechanisms - (Giving stuff away rarely works as well as selling it)  Innovate on existing platform - (we’ve got bicycles and mobile phones in Africa, plus lots of metal to weld. Innovate using that stuff, rather than bringing in completely new tech)

 Problems are not always obvious from afar - (you really have to live for a while in a society where no one has currency larger than a $1 Bill to understand the importance of money via mobile phones)  What you have matters more than what you lack - (If you have a bicycle, consider what you can build based on that, rather than worrying about not having a car, a truck, a metal shop)  Infrastructure can beget infrastructure - (By building mobile phone infrastructure, we may be building power infrastructure for Africa)

 According to the 2010 Technology and Innovation UN Report, Africa is on track to achieving the UN MDGs. The report associates this progress with innovation  Africa has made a commendable stride in Innovative Development  The main challenge is lack of mechanisms to facilitate access to information and sharing of the same  African scholars, researchers and potential innovators require an enabling platform to share their discoveries

 Knowledge Networks have proved the most effective platforms for sharing knowledge and promoting innovative development in Africa  If well designed, knowledge networks can create platforms to channel information freely to the grassroots to increase productivity and improve the livelihood of the rural-based communities

Mobile Phones Technology  Mobile Phones technology is the most successful knowledge network in Africa  The continent is the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world  Research has shown that in ‘typical’ rural Districts of Africa, up to 80% of households make regular use of mobile phones  Telcom and Media recently put the figure of mobile subscribers in Africa at about half-a-billion

 Mobile phones are facilitating access to appropriate markets for rural-based SMEs, hence taking Africa to the world  The technology has enhanced communication and bridged the gap between urban and rural and between Africa and the world

Library Consortia  Development of library consortia in Africa is a major step to enhancing access to knowledge and promoting sharing of the same  In East Africa, library consortia has enhanced access to information and positively impacted on research activities  Most of the library consortia in Africa are promoting development of digital content

COTUL  The Consortium of Tanzania Universities and Research Libraries (COTUL) supports research and innovative development in Tanzania.  The objective of COTUL is “ to foster improvement of academic, research and public libraries in member institutions by promoting cooperative collection development and access to local and World-wide information resources ” COTUL website-April 2011

CUUL  The Consortium of Uganda University Libraries (CUUL) supports research and innovative Development in Uganda  The objective of CUUL is “ to cooperate in continually improving the availability and delivery of library and information services to the higher education community in Uganda and the peripheral research communities ” CUUL website – April 2011)

KLISC  The most successful consortium in East Africa is the Kenya Library and Information Services Consortium (KLISC)  The main objective of KLISC is to facilitate access to information for research through sharing access costs

 The current membership of KLISC stands at 76 institutions  Constraints facilitated innovative thinking among members of KLISC resulting in a very successful consortium that supports innovative development in Kenya

 Africa has a lot of potential for Innovative Development  Innovation should be encouraged at all levels and in all sectors  Development of digital content should be encouraged to make indigenous knowledge more visible  Mechanisms should be put in place to facilitate access to indigenous knowledge  Knowledge Networks are one of the best methods for facilitating sharing of knowledge

THANK YOU