Conceptualising An Integrated Approach To Scientific Research And Development (R&D) In Africa

Science, technology, and innovation are critical to the economic development of every nation. However, a majority of African nations have limited technical know-how,resulting in small and undiversified economies.The reasons for such a low level of technical know-how among a majority of these African countries include a low level of expenditure by governments on research and development (R&D) and also out-dated policies for science, technology, and innovation(STI).This research offers an approach to catering to Africa's science, technology, and innovation (STI) needs through the use of integration. It proposes integration beyond political and economic lines using neo-functionalism and aspects of liberal intergovernmentalism as the theories for which a collective intergovernmental effort can be utilized to solve Africa's STI problems. The research proposes the establishment of Regional Research and Development Communities (RRDCs) which will be responsible for, among other things, the establishment of supranational R&D centres adequately funded and equipped to be a source of new knowledge in areas of agriculture, energy,medicine, and infrastructure.Through the establishment of such Regional Research and Development Communities(RRDCs), African countries stand the chance enjoying economies of scale by spending fewer resources than they would have to spend if they were to pursue such large research and development (R&D) individually.