Empirical study of national technological innovation capability in Africa

Abstract

This paper performs an analysis of the technological innovation capability in 30 African countries. Based on the literature about national innovation capability and economy of technological change, an empirical study using clusters’ analysis technique and the technological innovation indicators published in the Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011 (WEF, 2010) has been performed in order to explore the existence of groups of countries characterized by different technological innovation levels, deepening in their characteristics and the distance that separates them. The results show the existence of four groups of countries defined by different technological innovation capabilities in three factors, which are the Governmental and business technological policy, the Technological infrastructure and human capital (Available Base) and the Protection of intellectual property and innovation results.