Briefing Paper

Assessing Science Technology and Innovation Metrics in Africa

This policy brief highlights insights on how African countries are assessing their Science Technology and Innovation (STI) metrics and recommends an integrated scoreboard for improving the assessment. The brief is based on the ‘Assessing Science and Technology Metrics in Africa’ project, which is aimed at developing an integrated set of indicators (scoreboard) that can be applied to assess STI progress and performance in African countries. Developing STI indicators builds on the fact that most African countries are aspiring to transition to sustainable industrialized economies by 2030 through STI, thus the need to understand which investments can yield benefits that align to this development ambition and the broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The role of STI as a driver of a knowledge-based economy and achievement of the SDGs is articulated in the continent’s Agenda 2063 and operationalized under the STI Strategy for Africa 2024.