Innovation Agencies in Africa Network

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is more than a trade protocol, it is a bold blueprint to drive economic transformation across Africa through integration, industrialization, and inclusive growth. But to realize its full potential, Africa must first strengthen its capacity to innovate.

Innovation doesn’t just happen in laboratories or startups. It requires systems, strong public institutions, harmonized policies, regional coordination, and investment in applied research and commercialization. That is where the Innovation Agencies in Africa (IAA) Network comes in.

Now in its pilot phase, the IAA Network is working to bring together national innovation agencies and related public institutions across the continent to co-create a continental framework for innovation support. The network’s vision aligns directly with AfCFTA’s ambition: to foster value addition, technology transfer, and intra-African trade in knowledge-intensive products and services.

From Policy to Action: Responding to a Fragmented Innovation Landscape

A 2023/2024 mapping study by the University of Johannesburg’s Trilateral Research Chair in Transformative Innovation (UJ-TRCTI) covering 22 African countries revealed a significant gap: where Science Granting Councils (SGCs) support innovation, their focus is largely skewed toward scientific research, with limited emphasis on innovation commercialization or coordination of innovation ecosystems.

This research confirmed what many innovators and policymakers already feel, that Africa’s innovation potential is held back by fragmented mandates, underfunded institutions, and lack of coordination across borders.

IAA Network's Role in Advancing AfCFTA’s Innovation Agenda

As Africa begins to operationalize AfCFTA’s Protocol on Digital Trade, Protocol on Investment, and Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade, the IAA Network sees a strategic opportunity to ensure that innovation agencies are not left behind—but lead from the front.

The IAA Network is committed to:

· Harmonizing innovation policies across borders to support technology-based trade and entrepreneurship

· Building institutional capacity to support startups and innovators to scale regionally under AfCFTA

· Fostering regional collaboration through cross-border innovation programs

· Advocating for the inclusion of innovation indicators and institutional strengthening in national AfCFTA implementation strategies

· Bridging the gap between research and commercialization by enabling agencies to better support IP management, venture support, and industry partnerships

The Road Ahead: From Pilot to Continental Impact

While still in its early stages, the IAA Network is laying the foundation for a truly Pan-African innovation support ecosystem. With support from IDRC and coordinated by KeNIA, NCRST Namibia, and UJ-TRCTI, the network is onboarding members, building its governance structure, and crafting collaborative programs.

AfCFTA opens a historic window, but only strong, connected, and well-resourced public innovation institutions can turn that window into a gateway for transformation.