Abstract
This chapter builds on earlier references to African traditional knowledge and medicines (TAM) as an indigenous knowledge system which is of great importance to Africa and its leaders. TAM is an important and unique source of innovations in Africa, yet it suffers from a lack of investment and research to generate evidence for its use to be widely scaled up and recognized locally and internationally. Most of the R&D challenges and opportunities identified in this book are best exemplified with TAM. A multi-sectorial approach to developing TAM that involves health, agriculture, nutrition and small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development is proposed as a way of strengthening this area of work. Similarly, digital, bio- chemical and emerging technologies are summarized in the context of health, agriculture, environment and the exploitation of African mineral resources, and how they are supporting the establishment of innovation hubs, startups and SMEs on the continent. We emphasize that the research and innovation trends associated with some of these areas are largely consistent with social innovation.
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Nwaka, S. (2021). African Traditional Knowledge, Other Technologies and Emerging Areas. In: Social and Technological Innovation in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0155-2_6
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