“The findings reveal an impressive turnaround from the slow growth in Africa’s share of the number of patents, peer-reviewed scientific publications and, technology exports and imports which grew very slowly in the 1980s to 1990s, Abdoulie Janneh under Secretary-General and ECA’s Executive Secretary said.
Janneh added, “the trends associated with technology transfer as assessed in the study provide evidence of the factors driving the impressive economic growth rates recorded in African countries over the last decade. “
According to the study, Africa and Asia enjoy tremendous increase in royalties and licensing fees between 1990 and 2008. While royalties and licensing fees rose six times globally, sub-Saharan Africa’s royalty and licensing fee payments went up 10 times – second only to East Asia and the Pacific (57 times).
North Africa is leading the charge, said Algerian economist and technology expert Rafik Bouaddine. He pointed to the increase of European companies interest in North Africa as a gateway to the African as a whole is providing much needed buttressing of the infant industrial technology on the continent.
“What we are witnessing is a move toward Africa, especially North Africa and how it is creating a means for corporations and governments in the West to get into the African market, starting with North Africa,” he said.
The OECD countries saw a rise of 6 times and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) witnessed a 5-fold increase between 1990 and 2008. At the continental level, royalties and licensing fees payments for Cameroon, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland and Tunisia increased rapidly between 1990 and 2007.
by Jonathan Terry
