Adapting the innovation systems framework to Sub-Saharan Africa

This chapter discusses the structural realities of Sub-Saharan African countries and how they relate to the conversion of knowledge to value. It focuses on two central aspects of innovation in developing countries: the dominance of foreign investment in natural resources (particularly in extractive industries) and in infrastructure; and the large informal sector, which contributes about 41% to gross domestic product in Sub-Saharan Africa and represents around 72% of total employment outside the agricultural sector. It does not aim to provide an exhaustive analysis of these issues but to encourage discussion in an innovation systems perspective.