This book examines how disruptive technologies and innovation underpin the attainment of a broader development agenda in Africa. Contributors show how distinctive forms of technological innovation can impact critical development processes. For example, disruptive technologies can deepen the ongoing democratic and governance waves in Africa, specifically in the area of contested elections. Similarly, innovations in agriculture, the environment and energy promote changes in value chain agriculture, and the use of sensors to manage e-waste and sustainable energy conservation are also transforming established practices. Furthermore, the role of disruptive technologies and innovation in education, health, financial services and the nature of paid work cannot be ignored. Individually and collectively, the authors discuss and highlight the mechanisms and initiatives that can contribute to the realization of the development goals of African countries, especially in a period where disruptive technologies are rapidly changing how things are done. As a result, this book, which represents one of the most recent systematic efforts to bring together dialogue on disruptive technologies in Africa, will be of particular use and benefit to a wide and an eclectic audience.

"Chapter 1 Introduction Colonialism and Africa's Future Paths The European ways were considered modern, the African old-fashioned. Lagos culture was such an unfortunate conglomeration of both that you ended up not knowing to which you belonged. Buchi Emecheta, The Bride Price (1976) This book examines past, present, and likely future paths for Nigeria and other countries in Africa through a lens of disruption. The Oxford English Dictionary defines disrupt as meaning "to break apart, burst, shatter, separate forcibly, interrupt the normal continuity of (an activity etc.) or to throw into disorder." This book combines this commonplace understanding of disruption with conceptions of disruption that have become prominent in digital economy discussions, significantly influenced by the work of Clayton Christensen. In his seminal 1997 book, The Innovator's Dilemma and later work, Christensen characterized disruptive innovation as a process "by which a product or service initially takes root in simple applications at the bottom of a market - typically by being less expensive and more accessible - and then relentlessly moves upmarket, eventually displacing established competitors." Disruptive innovation has become an influential concept in technology, finance, and other arenas, with much discussion about what constitutes a disruptive innovation. Disruption is celebrated in Silicon Valley, a global epicenter of technology disruption. This book is not an intervention into the extensive discourse about digital economy disruption. Rather, this book discusses how varied forms of disruption have had an impact in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in the past, the impact of such past disruptions today, and the implications and potential future paths given disruptive digital economy technologies and innovations"--

"This book provides case studies as well as practical and theoretical chapters on the issues surrounding disruptive technologies, innovation, and global redesign"--Provided by publisher.

Information, knowledge, and technology occupy significant space in the information and knowledge society and ongoing debates on development such as sustainable development goals (SDGs) agenda 2030 and the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Disruptive technologies and cyber-physical systems, obscuring the lines between the physical, digital and biological, escalated by the COVID-19 pandemic, present a ‘new normal’ that profoundly affects the nature and magnitude of responses required to sustain and benefit from the new developments. Africa, known for its late adoption of new technologies and innovations, is leapfrogging development stages in several enviable ways. This book, Information knowledge and technology for development in Africa’, written by eminent African scholars, comprises chapters that satisfactorily address information access, artificial intelligence, information ethics, e-learning, library and information science education (LISE) in the 4IR, data literacy and e-scholarship, and knowledge management, which are increasingly essential for information access, services, and LISE in Africa. We expect the book to support research, teaching and learning in African higher education and worldwide for comparative scholarship.

This study—which includes a pilot intervention in Kenya—aims to further the state of knowledge about the emerging trend of disruptive agricultural technologies (DATs) in Africa, with a focus on supply-side dynamics. The first part of the study is a stocktaking analysis to assess the number, scope, trend, and characteristics of scalable disruptive technology innovators in agriculture in Africa. From a database of 434 existing DAT operations, the analysis identified 194 as scalable. The second part of the study is a comparative case study of Africa’s two most successful DAT ecosystems in Kenya and Nigeria, which together account for half of Sub-Saharan Africa’s active DATs. The objective of these two case studies is to understand the successes, challenges, and opportunities faced by each country in fostering a conducive innovation ecosystem for scaling up DATs. The case study analysis focuses on six dimensions of the innovation ecosystem in Kenya and Nigeria: finance, regulatory environment, culture, density, human capital, and infrastructure. The third part of the study is based on the interactions and learnings from a pilot event to boost the innovation ecosystem in Kenya. The Disruptive Agricultural Technology Innovation Knowledge and Challenge Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, brought together more than 300 key stakeholders from large technology companies, agribusiness companies, and public agencies; government representatives and experts from research and academic institutions; and representatives from financial institutions, foundations, donors, and venture capitalists. Scaling Up Disruptive Agricultural Technologies in Africa concludes by establishing that DATs are demonstrating early indications of a positive impact in addressing food system constraints. It offers potential entry points and policy recommendations to facilitate the broader adoption of DATs and improve the overall food system.

The volume analyses major strategic and policy issues. How to make Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policies relevant for inclusive growth strategies in Africa so that socio-economic transformation strategies will take off. The first part discusses the issues of human skills development as part of STI policies, based on visions, strategic plans and country cases (for Cameroon, Nigeria and Mauritania). The second part looks at STI Policies for Economic Transformation, focussing on country case studies (for Egypt and Tunisia). A third part presents book reviews and book notes.