Accelerating African Health Innovation

Our paper Accelerating African Health Innovation highlights the barriers to commercialization of indigenous health products faced by African countries. Based on research in Ghana, Tanzania and Rwanda, we found that many elements needed for innovation were present, but the lack of linkages among scientists, entrepreneurs and investors, coupled with a gap in the availability of risk capital, prevented commercialization of domestic research. In this paper, we propose a solution to these barriers – innovation platform – and describe how such a platform will catalyze commercialization of African innovation. We also propose ways that international business can contribute to developing these platforms and to the development of African innovation. This paper was published in the Africa Journal, a quarterly publication of the Corporate Council for Africa, a non-profit membership organization dedicated to enhancing trade and investment relations between the United States and the 53 countries of Africa. 

Kamunyori S, Al-Bader S, Shah R, Simiyu K, Singer PA and Daar AS.
(2008). Accelerating African Health Innovation. The Africa Journal (Winter 2008): 20-21.

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