African private sector support and investments for ICT research and development in Africa: report

Abstract

The ICTs and Science and Technology Division of ECA which has a mandate to promote science and technology for development in Africa recruited this consultant to undertake a study on African private sector support for investment in ICT R& D in the continent. This will not only enable better understanding of the current situation but also help in determining a policy response and advocacy campaign in this regard. To this end, the report to be submitted by the consultant was designed to Identify companies supporting ICT R & D in Africa; Evaluate the contributions being made by such companies in this regard; Clearly highlight trends and differences in different sectors; Recommend a vision, goals and activities that ECA will use to harness such resources in the context of an ICT R&D strategy for Africa; Table the findings at a meeting with private sector operators. The study however identified a few cases of ICTR&D in Africa as well as the limited private sector participation around them. These were examined to see if any useful lessons can be derived from them and extrapolated to other African countries. Another useful approach in the study is the review of the efforts of ECA, either alone or in partnership with other institutions in harnessing information in the continent, a process that involves working with the private sector, Governments, the Academia, Regional bodies, International partners, other non-state actors, etc. to coordinate these players for nurturing ICTs and ICTR&D in the continent.