Knowledge and Innovation in Africa: Scenarios for the Future
This 2013 book is the product of three years of literature reviews, expert interviews and scenario-building exercises by the Open AIR network. The authors trace the contours of knowledge and innovation in Africa from the founding civilisations to today’s current realities, and then set out the drivers of change that can be expected to shape innovation systems on the continent between now and the year 2035.
Open Opportunities for Globally Inclusive Biomedical Innovation
By Jeremy de Beer
See the Biomedical Innovation Project Archive Here:
Researchers from the Open African Innovation Research network, Open AIR, are investigating root regulatory causes...
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,
Spotlight on Artificial Intelligence – Eastern Africa
AI activities at the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (CIPIT), at Strathmore University, encompass primarily events and network building. Under the...
Researching Maker Communities and Socio-economic Inclusion
By Chris Armstrong
As part of our Maker Movement research theme, we at Open AIR are trying to build understanding of how participation in...
Emerging issues in campus and community “makerspaces” across Canada
Makerspaces are places where innovators gather together to develop new ideas, technologies and entrepreneurial opportunities. The concept of sharing not only space but also tools and equipment is gaining popularity in many countries. Canada is home to several makerspaces ranging from hackerspaces, to fab labs, to informal studio spaces where people can create, invent, and learn. Some are run for profit, some are non-profit, and some are run by individuals or larger institutions.
Open AIR Research into 4th Industrial Revolution Technologies and Artificial Intelligence:...
By Nagham El Houssamy and Nadine Weheba
This is part three in a three part series. For part one, click here. For part two, click here.
Monumental advances in technology are...
La guerre des vaccins et les droits de propriété intellectuelle
Par Abdelhamid Benhmade
En Octobre 2020, l’Afrique du Sud et l’Inde ont proposé aux États membres de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC) de suspendre les...
Kenya and the WHO Pandemic Agreement
Authored by: Nelly C. Rotich, Doreen Aoko Abiero, Josephine Kaaniru Reuben, Chebet Koros and Melissa Omino
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical weaknesses in global health...
Opportunities for Women in Transformative Innovation and 4IR in Africa
By Pamela Mreji
Since the beginning of time, women and men inventors and entrepreneurs have transformed our world through the power of their imagination and...













