Report

From Inventors to Innovators: An Investigation into Individual Inventors in Tanzania

“Although technological innovation has lately been accepted as a key aspect in socio and economic development and therefore poverty reduction, poor countries such as Tanzania have largely been left out of the process. One major reason for this has been the concentration on technology transfer that does not take into account a conscious and deliberate effort in building indigenous technological capability. However, despite this fact, there are individuals, especially in the informal sector, who are
inventing and innovating to the extent of coming up with inventions which have been declared new to the world. But the diffusion of these inventions is largely constrained by factors that include: level
and nature of science education, and a research system that creates and reinforces dichotomy between science education and system, and societal needs; globalization and privatization;
recognition and hence reward by the government; tax incentives; venture capital and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) system.”