Science, Engineering and Economic Growth in Africa: Development Cooperation Challenges and Opportunities

Advances and innovations in science and technology have been essential catalysts of growth for developing societies; most readily apparent in the growth surge in Asia in recent decades. Yet sub-Saharan African countries continue to lag behind in science, technology, and engineering developments and applications.

On January 9, Dr. Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, gave a talk on “Engineering and Economic Growth in Africa” at the National Academy of Sciences. Professor Juma is an internationally-recognized authority and leader in the application of science, engineering and innovation to sustainable development in developing and developed countries. His lecture explored the role that emerging technologies can play in fostering economic growth and improving human welfare in Africa, and it re-examined opportunities for development cooperation in light of the current global food and financial crises. Professor Juma drew on experiences on the linkages between economic growth and technological innovation in fields such as agriculture, health, energy, education and environmental management.

This event was co-sponsored by The National Academies; the Brookings Institution’s Africa Growth Initiative; the Center for International Science, Technology, and Public Policy at George Washington University; the Civilian Research and Development Foundation; the International Development Program of the Paul Nitze School for Advanced International Study at Johns Hopkins University; and the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

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