Introduction to a special issue on ‘Building innovation capabilities for sustainable industrialization in Africa: status and prospects’

ABSTRACT The special issue of Innovation and Development on ‘Building innovation capabilities for sustainable industrialization in Africa … ’, presents a series of articles on building local technological capabilities and their implications for formulating and implementing policies in Africa’s industrialization agenda. Despite the high potential of Africa in advancing its industrialization mainly in resource-intensive sectors, progress remains low. Empirical evidence on the reasons for this problem is inadequate and patchy. Articles in this special issue address the gaps by delving into empirical issues ranging from sector-specific innovation capabilities to national systems of innovation. Based on first-hand data collected from South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and Rwanda, the articles unravelled key structural and systemic problems behind Africa’s dismal progress in developing technological and industrial capabilities. Together, these articles advance our understanding of how to improve the effectiveness of innovations, industrial policies, and coordination for inclusive and sustainable industrialization.