Knowledge & Innovation in Africa: Scenarios for the Future

Abstract

'Knowledge and Innovation in Africa: Scenarios for the Future' grapples with the complex and dynamic forces that will shape innovation systems over the next two decades. The report distills three different but equally plausible future scenarios: one a world of “wireless engagement,” another where “informal is the new normal,” and a third that is “sincerely Africa.” Each scenario raises different issues for control of, and access to, knowledge in Africa.

The key insight for policymakers, business leaders, scholars and civil society is that the question is not whether intellectual property rights will be relevant in the future, but rather which rights will be most important in different scenarios.