Recognizing Informal Sector Innovation: Implications for Traditional Knowledge Development in Africa
In 2012, a civil society group called the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), raised concerns about a draft Africa Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) plant variety protection protocol. AFSA was concerned,
Women Bridging the Gap of Change and Innovation in Africa
By Mnena Abuku
Women
in Africa have faced a diversity of struggles in their efforts toward
sustainable development. This is largely because globalisation has brought more
burdens upon...
Building Women’s Resilience and Leadership in Climate Change and Humanitarian Crises
By Esther Mobolayo Adekunbi
On Tuesday, March 10, 2020, I was privileged to attend a meeting organised by CARE Canada and the Food and Agriculture...
Policy Support for Makerspaces in Africa and Europe: mAkE Project Publishes...
By Chris Armstrong
The EU Horizon 2020-funded African European Maker Innovation Ecosystem (mAkE) Project, in which Open AIR is an African partner, has published its flagship policy...
40th WIPO IGC: Mixed Impressions as Experts Seek a New Mandate
By Chidi Oguamanam, cross-posted from ABS Canada.
Pre-session
Strategy Meetings
Experts and delegates gathered in Geneva for the 40th session of the WIPO IGC, which commenced on...
7 Ways that African States are Legitimizing Artificial Intelligence
By Jake Okechukwu Effoduh
Several reports on States’ adoption of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) across the world have indicated that African countries have a “slow” or...
Open AIR Seeks Equitable Solutions to Post-pandemic Innovation Challenges
In 2013, Open AIR published foresight research anticipating a future shaped by shocks like a catastrophic global pandemic. During the decade since, Open AIR...
Le Big Pharma a-t-il raison de freiner des quatre fers ?
Par Abdelhamid Benhmade
Sans pour autant être d’un optimisme béat ni sombrer dans un pessimisme démesuré, il est clair que la dérogation aux droits de...
AFCTFA: A Potential Boost for African Economies
By Eslam Shaaban
In March 2018, the African Continent Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA) was unveiled as the world’s largest free trade area since the creation...
Open Data’s Effect on Food Security
Agricultural data is a vital resource in the effort to address food insecurity. This data is used across the food-production chain. For example, farmers rely on agricultural data to decide when to plant crops, scientists use data to conduct research on pests and design disease resistant plants, and governments make policy based on land use data. As the value of agricultural data is understood, there is a growing call for governments and firms to open their agricultural data.
