The state of science, technology and innovation in Africa – a Science Granting Council perspective

Since 2015, the Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa (SGCI) has involved collaboration between several funders, namely the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, IDRC, South Africa’s National Research Foundation, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the German Research Foundation and Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. Councils from across East, Southern and West Africa have participated in SGCI to strengthen their capacities to support research and evidence-based policies that can contribute to economic and social development.

Navigating global, regional and national funding landscapes is at the heart of the work of the councils. To strengthen capacity in this regard, and to help achieve visibility and policy influence at the national and regional levels, new perspectives are needed on the state of science, technology and innovation (STI) in Africa, with a focus on STI funding and research collaboration. Specifically, there is a need for data and analyses that focus on the perspectives and contexts of the councils, and that go beyond macro-level indicators in understanding sub-regional or country-level STI landscapes.

This project will develop a report on the state of STI in Africa from an SGC perspective to be launched in 2024 and will deliver a masterclass on research funding flows at the 2023 Annual Forum.