January 2016 VOLUME 5 ISBN: 9966 - 41-190 - 9 THE POVERTY OF DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY IN AFRICA Dr Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng, Executive Director, ACTS AFRICA’S NEW MIDDLE CLASS A VEHICLE FOR CHANGE OR MORE OF THE SAME? Prof Michael Lofchie, UCLA THE DATA GEOGRAPHIES THE CASE FOR REVOLUTION OF INFORMATION BIOTECHNOLOGY IN AFRICA INEQUALITY IN AFRICA IN AFRICA Prof Laura Mann, Prof Mark Graham and Dr Christopher Prof. Torbjörn Fagerström, Dr. Roy B. London School of Economics Foster, University of Oxford Mugiira and Dr. Lisa Sennerby Forsse THE AFRICAN TRADE FOR AFRICA’S LIGHT SOURCE DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION INITIATIVE IN AFRICA “REVOLUTION” Prof. Sekazi K. Mtingwa, Professor Emeritus, Prof L Alan Winters, Dr Pádraig Carmody, Trinity College Dublin MIT and Carolina A&T State University University of Sussex and Prof James T. Murphy, Clark University 1 THE AFRICAN TECHNOPOLITAN 2 THE AFRICAN TECHNOPOLITAN Editor -in- Chief Dr. Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng Editor - in- Chief Dr. Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng Editorial Assistants Winnie Asiti Millie Ocholla Mary Muthoni Moses Owidhi Contact [email protected] To contribute an article or opinion, or to advertise on the African Technopolitan, please contact: [email protected] Published by ACTS Press Nairobi, 2016. The African Technopolitan is a biannual publication dedicated to the world of science, technology and development. It informs and provokes debate on critical issues in African development. www.africantechnopolitan.com 3 THE AFRICAN TECHNOPOLITAN IN THIS ISSUE 12 6 48 THE POVERTY OF DEVELOPMENT GEOGRAPHIES OF INFORMATION STRATEGY IN AFRICA INEQUALITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA 6 Dr Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng, 78 Prof Mark Graham and Dr Christopher Foster, Executive Director, ACTS Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford AFRICA’S NEW MIDDLE CLASS: A Vehicle for AFRICA’S INFORMATION “REVOLUTION”: Progressive Change or More of the Same? Possibilities and Limitations 28 Prof Michael Lofchie, 86 Dr Pádraig Carmody, Professor of Political Science, UCLA Trinity College Dublin and Prof James T. Murphy, Clark University HARNESSING TRADE FOR ACCELERATED THE DATA REVOLUTION IN AFRICA: DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 38 Prof L Alan Winters, 90 Prof Laura Mann, University of Sussex Assistant Professor of International Development, LSE CHINA’S CONTRIBUTION TO SKILLS GROWING THE KENYA BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA PROCESS OUTSOURCING SECTOR Dr Sajitha Bashir, 93 Prof Mark Graham (Oxford), Prof Laura Mann (LSE), 44 Dr. Nicolas Friederici (Oxford), Prof Timothy Waema World Bank Group (Nairobi) BIOTECHNOLOGY: The Tool Africa THE MOBILE MONEY EXPERIENCE IN Cannot Afford to Ignore SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA 56 Prof. Torbjörn Fagerström, 96 Dr Mrinalini Tankha, Dr. Roy B. Mugiira (State Department of Science and Postdoctoral Scholar, IMTFI, University of California, Irvine Technology, Kenya) and Prof. Lisa Sennerby Forsse (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) THE CASE FOR BIO-BASED ECONOMIES MOBILE TECHNOLOGY MEETS IN AFRICA SOCIAL INNOVATION Prof Nwadiuto Esiobu, 66 106 Ken Banks, Florida Atlantic University, U.S.A.; former Senior Science Founder of kiwanja.net and creator of Frontline SMS Advisor, Secretary’s Office of Global Food Security, U.S. Department of State COMMERCIAL FAMILY FARMS ARE BIODIVERSITY INFORMATICS IN MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN PLANTATION 72 EASTERN AFRICA 110 AGRICULTURE IN AFRICA Dr Aime Tsinda, Senior Research Fellow, IPAR-Rwanda Prof Joseph Hanlon, LSE and the Open University; Prof Jeanette Manjengwa, University of Zimbabwe; Prof Teresa Smart, University College London. 4 THE AFRICAN TECHNOPOLITAN 61 FARMER GOVERNANCE OF LOCAL THE ‘RESOURCE CURSE’ AND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND CONFLICTS IN AFRICA 114 INNOVATION 150 Dr Ann Waters-Bayer, Chesha Wettasinha & Laurens van Prof Jon Unruh, McGill University Veldhuizen, Prolinnova International Secretariat, Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Amsterdam, Netherlands THE CHALLENGE OF GLOBAL THE ROLE OF TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS HEALTH PARTNERSHIPS IN AFRICA IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION 159 Prof Ogaba Danjuma Oche, 120 Prof Johanna Crane, Assistant Professor of Science, Technology, and Society, University of Washington – Nigerian Institute of International Affairs Bothell SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY RETHINKING SECURITY IN AFRICA PARTNERSHIPS IN AFRICA Prof Samuel M. Makinda, 124 Prof Clare N. Muhoro, 169 Murdoch University Townson University; Science Partnerships Advisor, US Global Development Lab, USAID TACKLING INEQUITIES IN GLOBAL GODAN AIMS TO FILL CRITICAL SCIENTIFIC POWER STRUCTURES KNOWLEDGE GAPS FOR SDG #2 128 172 Diana Szpotowicz, GODAN Angela Okune (Ihub), Denisse Albornoz, Becky Hillyer, Nanjira Sambuli (Ihub), Leslie Chan (University of Toronto) THE AFRICAN LIGHT SOURCE ACTS IN THE WORLD 132 INITIATIVE 174 Prof. Sekazi K. Mtingwa, Professor Emeritus, MIT and Carolina A&T State University AFRICA, FOSSIL FUELS AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY 140 Langdon Morris, InnovationLabs MULTINATIONALISM IN THE FACE OF A 144 GROWING TERRORIST THREAT IN AFRICA Bat-el Ohayon and Frank Charnas, AfriQue Consulting Group 5 THE AFRICAN TECHNOPOLITAN COVER STORY THE POVERTY OF DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY IN AFRICA Dr Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng, Executive Director, ACTS 6 6 THETHE AFRICAN AFRICAN TECHNOPOLITAN TECHNOPOLITAN Abstract A combination of robust economic performance and an uptick in scientific and technological indicators over the last two decades has given rise to exuberant assessments of Africa’s development prospects in the 21st century. Loose parallels are being drawn between development in Africa today and economic development in East Asia (i.e. the ‘East Asian tigers’) and the rise of ‘Silicon Valley’. This article argues that Africa’s economic and techno-scientific progress is being lionized prematurely, to the detriment of its long term development. The ‘Africa rising’ narrative masks a poverty of development strategies: lack of coherent development policies and capacity for strategic thinking necessary to consolidate recent gains and to harness future global megatrends. The poverty of development strategy manifests itself in at least four interrelated ways. The morphing of ‘Economic Advisors’ into ‘Policymakers’ in all but name has restrained ‘development ambition’ and ‘strategic policy space’ in Africa. ‘Palliative’ or policies focused on poverty reduction have been mistaken for development policy. Africa has failed to bet big on science, technology and innovation for its development. Policy making has proceeded as if Africa is a country, yielding dubious one-size-fits-all prescriptions. Introduction: Two Decades of Robust Economic Performance but Nothing Miraculous n 2000, the World At the turn of the century, 40 per- veloping region’’ (World Bank, 2000, Bank published an cent of Africa’s private wealth was 1). The World Bank concluded that assessment of Sub Sa- held abroad, an amount equivalent Africa’s development challenges went haran Africa’s devel- to the size of its debt or 90 percent beyond low incomes, low savings, opment prospects in of its GDP. By comparison, only 6 slow growth and falling trade shares the 21st century: Can percent of East Asian and 10 percent to include inequality, uneven access Africa Claim the 21st of Latin American wealth were held to resources, social exclusion, and in- Century? The Bank abroad. Between 1960s and 2000, security. hedged its bets. Africa entered the Africa had lost a third of its human 21st century with dismal socio-eco- capital through emigration. In 2000, Against this background, it is easy nomic indicators. It had many of the 1 out of 8 Africans with a university to see why the broad-based and sus- world’s poorest countries and a grow- education lived in a country in the tained economic growth, falling pov- ing share of the world’s absolute poor. OECD. This was the highest rate erty rates, and the unexpected uptake Its total income was not much more among developing regions, with the of information and communication than Belgium’s, and its ‘‘average out- exception of the Caribbean, Cen- technologies in much of Africa over put per capita in constant prices was tral America and Mexico. Moreover, the last two decades has generated lower at the end of the 1990s than 30 the continent appeared in danger of a dramatic shift in elite and popular years before’’ (World Bank, 2000, 8). being marginalized by the informa- perception of Africa’s development The continent was characterized by tion revolution. In the estimation prospects. Consider the following. financial and human capital flight; of the World Bank, many develop- Over the last two decades, real eco- declining export shares in traditional ment problems had become largely nomic activity in Africa more than commodities; limited economic di- confined to Africa. These included doubled. According to Africa’s Pulse, versification; widespread civil strife lagging primary school enrollments, the economies of Sub-Saharan Af- (with one in five Africans living in a high child mortality, and endemic dis- rica grew at a relatively strong pace conflict stricken country); and limited eases—‘‘including malaria and HIV/ of 4.5 percent a year on average be- popular participation in political gov- AIDS—that impose costs on Africa tween 1995 and 2013. This is com- ernance. at least twice those in any other de- parable to that of other developing 7 THE AFRICAN TECHNOPOLITAN regions (4.4 percent). Africa was out- recessions across the region dropped in 1970 to a peak of 15.3 percent in performed only by East Asia and the from 2.2 years during 1974–94