Development drivers in Africa : role of innovation

Africa has recovered from the 2008-2009 financial crisis and posted high growth levels as seen before the crisis. The region has also been able to generate a sizable middle class of over 300 million people, who are educated, connected, and aware. Such success was possible partly because of the discipline in putting in place the right macroeconomic policies and managing to stick with difficult reforms despite the crisis. The key issue now is how to speed up development that reduces poverty and creates jobs in a sustainable manner. This paper argues that innovation in development is an additional factor underpinning Africa's development and that it is important to see how pro-poor innovation can further contribute to resolving the remaining challenges. We interrogate the work that is needed to spur innovation and conclude with the role of capacity development institutions such as the African Capacity Building Foundation to support innovation systems. Keywords: Africa, capacity building,development, knowledge flows, innovation systems