Op-Ed: On African Innovation: Where Do We Begin?

             

In the first installment of this series on African Innovation, I sought to establish the fact Africa was ripe for innovation, if necessity was the mother of invention,   and that African innovation, need not be high-tech. In the second part (read here), I asked the   question:  Can African Innovate? My preliminary answer : Africans Innovate, therefore Africa can innovate, IF…

The “IF” introduced a series of preconditions, which would be critical for driving relevant African Innovation. 

In this edition, I would like to address one of those pre-conditions by asking the question, where do we begin? 

In order to get “there” however, a little digression: a few days ago I read some refreshing news about two Nigerian female students who had won an Award in the Medicine and Health category, of the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair, in LA. They had found a solution for bad breath using walnuts. They actually came up with an hypotheses and tested it by conducting structured research into it leading to  an innovation that solves a problem which according to them is  faced by many of their peers.

They were secondary school students (Doregos Academy), just like the other young girls (Where are the guys?) the ones who powered a generator using urine.

This story was refreshing in and of itself, but it further served to reinforce my belief that African Innovation must begin with Africa’s Education.  We cannot change a people until we
change the way they think. This is especially critical if we want to stimulate innovation; because innovation requires changing mindsets and changing the way we see things.

About the same time I heard the news of the walnut mouthwash girls, I read some not so refreshing news; about the massive failure that trailed the 2014 WAEC Examinations. There is no clearer indication that our education is in a dire situation.

Someone said the students are dumber than in the past.  I am not so sure if that’s the case. They may be distracted- thanks to mobile devices, internet penetration, social media and entertainment but they are not dumb, at least not most of the ones that I meet. The real challenge is somewhere between the way they learn and the way they are being taught.

Fortunately, or not, the whole world is facing the need to re-examine their Educational systems. The core problem, according to Sir Ken Robinson, is the fact that current educational systems are trying to meet the future by doing what they did in the past and on the way they are alienating millions of kids who don’t see any point in going to school. 

This is not practicable. The world needs to change education Paradigms.  And if the world needs new paradigms for education, how much more Africa? Especially if Africa must innovate.

There are a couple of approaches we could take to achieving this but, to my mind, it would come down to three:

1. Revamping existing educational institutions
2. Setting up new institutions
3. Hybrid, where existing institutions tap into new systems for education.

Revamping existing educational institutions:

This needs to start as early as possible. Primary school if possible, as the younger ones are able to access the beginners and believers mindset that is so critical to innovation.  Courses such as Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Entrepreneurship Intellectual Property, need to be introduced into the school curriculum at every level.

Setting up new educational institutions:

India has used this approach. In 2012, the Indian Government introduced a bill into parliament to establish universities focused on innovation. The aim was to attract foreign and local private investment to boost local innovation and research capacity. The Nigerian Government could borrow a leaf from the Indian example. 

Ahsesi University in Ghana (2002), though a private initiative, is also a shining example of new educational institutions with a bias for innovation. The feasibility report for setting up the university was thorough addressing stakeholders from the demand and supply side of Ghana’s tertiary education. And its strategy of focusing on Innovation & Leadership has paid of as demonstrated by a good number of its graduates.(Read More Here)

Hybrid Approach:

One approach to doing this would be to use a triple helix model for fostering innovation: as proposed by Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff in the late 90s. In this model government and industries collaborate with universities to stimulate innovation and sustain a knowledge driven economy.

In this approach universities can play their role as incubators of innovation, driven by needs of the industries who have specific R&D needs to address real world challenges, this industry involvement will be stimulated and sustained by Government, policies, regulations and is some cases funding. This interactive and non-linear model has been very successful and is widely used as guide for national innovation policies.

African Education is where African Innovation must begin.

©Ese Oraka

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Ese Oraka is a Lawyer and Business Designer. He has extensive knowledge and experience in IP and Business Law, Innovation Management and Business Model Design. He is a founding partner at Adelphi Consulting. You can find him on - Twitter: @eseoraka, Facebook: /ese.oraka.9, or email info@adelphionline.com