Why Africa needs its own playbook for measuring STIs

As Africa moves to implement the Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2034), one major obstacle is the absence of reliable data.

Only three countries, Egypt, South Africa, and Tanzania, have consistently collected national research and development (R&D) and innovation statistics since 2007.

Without dependable data, policymakers struggle to make evidence-informed decisions to drive science, technology, and innovation (STI) for development.

The fourth African Innovation Outlook (2024)noted the scale of the problems. Many African countries lack the capacity and institutional frameworks to conduct regular R&D and innovation surveys.

Collecting STI data demands trained personnel, stable funding, and adherence to international standards – resources that remain scarce across much of the continent.

But the issue runs deeper than capacity. At the Evidence for Development (Evi4Dev) conference held in May 2025, experts questioned whether existing global STI metrics truly reflect African realities.

In a special session hosted by AUDA-NEPAD and the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), participants called for a shift towards indicators that capture the full spectrum of African innovation, particularly within informal economies, small enterprises, and emerging digital sectors.

Towards Africa-centred STI metrics

Organisations like the African Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems (AfricaLics) are leading this rethink.

AfricaLics researchers have proposed a new STI measurement agenda that aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, measures innovation in the informal sector, captures the impact of digitalisation, and assesses progress towards environmental sustainability.

Realising this vision requires collaboration among national statistical offices, innovation scholars, policymakers, and regional networks.

Data must not only be collected but also institutionalised and anchored in strong national systems that enable consistent, comparable, and actionable evidence for policymaking.

Strengthening STI measurement ecosystems

Efforts to close Africa’s STI data gap are already underway.

For more than a decade, AUDA-NEPAD’s African Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (ASTII) programme, supported by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), has pioneered R&D and business innovation surveys across the continent.

The HSRC, which has led South Africa’s national R&D and innovation surveys for over 20 years, also works through the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) to build STI measurement capacity in other countries.

Under the SGCI’s Evidence in Policy (Evi-Pol) project, African science granting councils are strengthening data governance and management systems to improve data quality.

Many councils already collect grants management data and are beginning to extend these systems to cover R&D and innovation, generating evidence that supports more informed policymaking.

Regional partnerships further reinforce this work. For example, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) STI Group, in collaboration with AUDA-NEPAD and the HSRC, recently convened a regional training workshop on STI measurement in Tanzania to strengthen collaboration, share methods, and establish roadmaps for sustained STI data production aligned with STISA-2034.

The role of political will and sustainable funding

Despite progress, challenges persist. Many STI data initiatives depend on irregular donor funding rather than long-term government support.

This undermines sustainability and leads to inconsistent reporting. Experts at the Evi4Dev conference and in a recent SGCI report on new approaches for funding research and innovation in Africa highlighted the urgent need for domestic financing and political commitment to institutionalise STI measurement.

Without reliable funding, Africa’s STI data ecosystem remains fragmented and unable to meet the evidence needs of national and continental strategies like STISA-2034.

Building sustainable systems for the future

Encouragingly, initiatives like the AfricaLics STI measurement research coordinating area launch in 2025, signal renewed commitment to African-led frameworks and methods.

Emerging tools such as artificial intelligence and alternative datasets could further transform how the continent measures and understands its innovation landscape.

Ultimately, building sustainable STI measurement systems requires more than technical tools. It demands strong institutions, collaboration across national and regional levels, and consistent political and financial support.

With these in place, STI data can become a strategic lever for inclusive, innovation-driven growth, helping Africa realise the vision of STISA-2034, a continent where science and innovation drive sustainable development.

Read full article here: https://hsrc.ac.za/news/rdsi/borrowed-metrics-missed-insights-why-africa-needs-its-own-sti-playbook/

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Published on 8 October 2025