Africa's necessity-driven innovations don't fit traditional global metrics


 Africa is experiencing a boom in innovation, yet global rankings often fail to capture this progress. A new study argues that traditional measurements, such as the number of patents filed or the amount of money spent on R&D, are designed for wealthy nations and do not reflect African reality. In Africa, innovation is often "frugal" and born out of necessity—like a mechanic modifying an engine to run on local fuel or a mobile money agent creating a new way to transfer cash without a bank.

These grassroots solutions solve massive problems but rarely show up in formal economic data. The study warns that if African governments continue to use these foreign yardsticks, they will misdirect funding and overlook the innovations that actually matter. The authors call for a new set of metrics that measure success based on social impact and problem-solving rather than just academic output. By redefining what innovation looks like, African leaders can better support the informal sector and scale the creative solutions that are already transforming lives across the continent.

Read the original article at: https://theconversation.com/africas-innovations-are-overlooked-because-global-measures-dont-fit-what-needs-to-change-257984


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