Science, Technology and Innovation: Mapping the Donor and Investment Landscape in Africa
A report by Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
Abstract
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were launched in 2015 with the aim to end global poverty and ensure long term sustainability of the planet. As a part of the Agenda 2030, advancing Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) has been recognised as one of the key strategies to achieve the global goals by 2030. Yet, prior to the global pandemic, the world was not on track to achieve the UN SDGs and the advent of COVID-19 has only exacerbated this problem by increasing inequalities, decreasing food security and causing large-scale loss of employment and livelihoods. Much like the rest of the world, Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries are struggling to meet their SDG targets, with an annual requirement of USD 500 billion to USD 1.2 trillion in SDG financing. Consisting of 33 of the Least Developed Countries, SSA continues to rely heavily on funding from Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), multilaterals and philanthropic organizations for economic growth.
Given the urgent need for innovation and technology to address critical gaps in sustainable development, especially to help rebuild economies in the pandemic era, this report provides a timely benchmark to understand the effectiveness of capital financing flows in the Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) sector within South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia and Rwanda, with the aim to identify critical gaps across the spectrum of financing, and recommendations on different avenues for partnership and private sector participation.
Citation
Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) (2021) Science, Technology and Innovation: Mapping the Donor and Investment Landscape in Africa. Impact Investment Exchange (IIX)
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