The Readiness of Innovation Systems for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 13-32
Author(s):  
Mafini Dosso ◽  
Chisom Ihebuzo Nwankwo ◽  
Youssef Travaly
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Innovation Systems ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Sub Saharan

scholarly journals The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Exploring the Determinants of Internet Access in Emerging Economies

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 77-92
Author(s):  
David Mhlanga ◽  
John Beneke
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Household Head ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Critical Components

Abstract With the rapid developments and changes in technology in the Fourth Industrial Revolution being witnessed everywhere, this study aimed to investigate the factors that influence access to the internet by households in emerging economies with a direct focus on South Africa one of the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Access to broadband facilities by individuals, households and consumers is one of the critical components of the economic growth and prosperity of a country. It is generally believed that the access to broadband technologies by a community or nation helps to increase productivity which assists a lot in fueling economic growth which will have an impact on the levels of poverty. Using the logistic regression, the study found out that race, access to telephone landline, access to a cellular cellphone, access to electricity, owning a house, gender, age of the household head, net household income per month, and household expenditure were the significant variables in influencing the demand for internet access by households in emerging economies. The factors that were more important in the influence on access to the internet were the availability of electricity and access to a cellphone. Therefore, the study concludes that to improve the quality of life of the people, it is imperative that the governments across the world, do invest more in improving access to quality internet, but one of the prerequisites is that households should have a stable electricity supply and they have access to cellphones.

scholarly journals Achieving the 4IR University Library in Sub-Saharan Africa: Trends, Opportunities and Challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 121-140
Author(s):  
Christopher Nkiko ◽  
Omorodion Okuonghae
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Library Management ◽  
University Library ◽  
Comprehensive Collection ◽  
Social Mediation ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Returns On Investment

Aim: The paper examined the university library in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the preconditions for achieving and sustaining the same in Nigeria. 4IR is characterized by a level of automation, deployment of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, internet connectivity and accessibility to the global information network, subscription to reputable online databases, quality and comprehensive collection in diverse formats, preponderance of digital natives among patrons, increased demand for seamless access to online resources and virtual operations, new library spaces (learning commons, research commons and makerspace), open scholarly communication, research data management, social mediation applications, digital curation and preservation. The challenges militating against effective crystallization of 4IR university libraries include: financial constraints, inadequate infrastructure, resistance to change, inadequate skills and competencies, security and intrusion issues, lack of exposure to international standards. Conclusions: The paper recommended the following as requisite panacea: leadership, demonstrating and justifying returns on investment, benchmarking practices, anti-intrusion and back-up systems, adequate power supply and bandwidth, endowment and corporate social responsibility, indigenous library management software, and capacity building initiatives.

Building Innovation Systems for Small-Scale Agricultural Activities in Sub-Saharan Africa

2016 ◽  
pp. 276-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olawale Oladipo Adejuwon
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Innovation System ◽  
Innovation Systems ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Agricultural Activities ◽  
Research Systems ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Successful Innovation

The failure of agricultural research systems to provide appropriate technologies to enhance competitiveness in small-scale agricultural activities in sub-Saharan Africa has been well documented. Recognising the peculiarities of such activities, this chapter proposes that a system of innovation where; the actors interact with each other; a combination of science- and experience-based mode of learning and innovation is used and; users provide producers of innovations with feedback will produce appropriate innovations for the sector. It is further hypothesized that the success of this system will be dependent on; the number, scope and strength of interactions among actors; brokerage activities; and an initial successful innovation system for downstream activities. The chapter also undertakes a qualitative assessment of the some-what successful Cassava and the not-so-successful palm oil sectors in Nigeria to highlight the importance of the framework and the differences between successful and ineffective innovation systems.

scholarly journals Orchestrating Smart Cities, New Disruptive Business Models and Informal Enterprises

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Mkalama ◽  
Bitange Ndemo
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
New Business ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
New Business Models

As the fourth industrial revolutions technologies intensify, cities are becoming smarter, new business models are emerging and informal enterprises are formalizing by default. Research demonstrates that the future of our world is decided by the quality of its future cities. As cities invest in information and communication technologies (ICTs) and embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies to make life easier and solve many of the problems we face today, employment opportunities expand and citizens enjoy better lifestyle. This chapter will examine how the concept of smart cities is disrupting existing business models and creating new ones that have positively impacting Africa’s informal enterprise sector. The chapter leverages abundance theory to explain the emerging phenomenon in the nexus between smart cities, new business models and informal enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study finds that indeed the concept of smart cities is indeed facilitating new business models that are formalizing the informal sector.

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